


Chrysalis

by Squirrel_Stone



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, Family Drama, Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Gen, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, Mireille is having none of this magic bullshit, Past Rape/Non-con, it's complicated - Freeform, nothing graphic but it is discussed, the magic goes haywire, this is my daughter she's an asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-05-05 15:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14621403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squirrel_Stone/pseuds/Squirrel_Stone
Summary: A miraculous has never broken before, but when Danielle Agreste tried to steal a brooch from her uncle, that's exactly what happened. Now, Leda feels she has no choice but to help her wounded kwami and stop Hawk Moth.





	1. Chapter 1

The first thing Nino saw when he walked into class was his best friend with his head down on the desk. “Uh... you okay, bro?” he asked. “You’re not normally this down... or here this early, now that I think about it. Post-holiday blues? I know there’s not an akuma after you ‘cause there hasn’t been one since Lila, but with you looking all down in the dumps, Hawk Moth might change his mind.”

Adrien just barely lifted his head, his chin still on the desk. “My cousin’s being sent to live with me,” he explained. “She got kicked out of her school in America, and my aunt and uncle think Paris will be a good influence.” He lowered his head, only to lift it again. “And don’t jinx it.”

Nino nodded slowly, sitting down in his seat next to Adrien. “I give her three days before she’s akumatized, mysterious absence of supervillain or not.”

“I’ve got two, Chloé says five,” Adrien replied dully. “Danielle is a hurricane, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. If she doesn’t become an akuma, she’ll cause one. Possibly me.”

“That is some dangerous thinking right there, buddy,” Nino said.

“Just wait until you meet her.” Adrien lowered his head again and groaned.

He heard a new set of footsteps followed by Alya’s voice. “Is he okay?”

“His cousin’s being sent to live with him,” Nino said, keeping it simple for Adrien’s sake. “Apparently she’s a real case.”

“She’s not that bad,” a new voice interrupted, and Adrien lifted his head to see Chloé walk in.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Then why’d you give her five days until she becomes an akuma?”

Chloé just scoffed and rolled her eyes. Boys. “She got kicked out of her school and has to live in another country with a cousin she only sees once a year,” she said matter-of-factly. “She’s only conversational in French and is going to be over seven thousand kilometers from home. It’ll be a miracle if she doesn’t hurt someone without being akumatized.”

“She beat someone up,” Adrien reminded her. He tilted his head and gave Chloé an exasperated stare. “You haven’t seen her since we were ten; I see her every year. She’s changed.”

“But she’s still Danielle,” Chloé insisted. She crossed her arms and turned to the front of the class, refusing to look back again when she said, “If she beat someone up, they deserved it.”

“Just wait until you get to meet her again.” Adrien leaned back in his seat and pouted at his desk, crossing his arms just like Chloé. “She’s supposed to get in soon; I’m hoping to put off meeting her until the end of the day.”

Alya raised her eyebrows and took her seat. “That bad...”

“That bad,” Adrien confirmed. When he glanced across the aisle, Chloé rolled her eyes.

* * *

By the time lunch came around, Adrien was a nervous wreck, jiggling his leg and looking around like a paranoid fool.

“Alright, we’re taking you to lunch,” Alya decided after the bell rang. “You’re clearly not ready to go home.”

Adrien flashed her a meek smile. “Thanks,” he replied. “I just... she’s so frustrating! She likes causing trouble, and sometimes she drags me along with her.”

“Don’t worry, bro, we’ll protect you,” Nino promised. “Worst comes to worst, you can hide out at the bakery across the street. Your parents own that place, right Marinette?”

Marinette opened her mouth to speak, only for the words to get caught in her throat. In lieu of a verbal response, she laughed nervously and nodded. Finally, she managed to choke something out. “Uh, heh-heh, totally!”

“Thanks, but I wouldn’t want to put you out like that,” he said. In his eyes, Marinette still wasn’t over the gum incident; it was the only reason she would avoid him so much and barely talk when they were near each other.

Sure enough, Marinette let out a soft sigh of relief, and Adrien winced. Why did he have to like girls who clearly weren’t interested in him?

“Maybe if you’re lucky, she’ll just keep her head down,” Alya said, cutting into Adrien’s thought process.

Adrien scoffed. “Yeah, right,” he murmured.

* * *

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our final descent,” the pilot said over the intercom.

In her seat, Danielle shifted and looked at the people on either side of her. On her right, a businessman slept, completely unaware of the pilot’s announcement; on her left, a college student took selfie after selfie, not even caring about the “no phones” warning they’d been given a million times. Both had more value in the clothes on their backs than Danielle had in her entire suitcase, and she knew it.

“So are you stopping in Paris or heading on to Rome for the study abroad program?” the college student suddenly asked, turning her attention to Danielle.

Danielle blinked a couple of times, surprised by the question. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and said, “I’m only staying in Paris for a few days to see my uncle and cousin, and then I’m going to Antalya to help Syrian refugees.”

The college student gasped. “Oh, that’s so noble! I wish I could do what you’re doing!”

“I’m sure you could.”

For her part, the college student realized Danielle had, in fact, insulted her, rather than given her a morale boost, and turned her attention back to her phone. Danielle rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, eying the businessman’s wristwatch.

After the plane landed and people started getting off, the college student spared one last smile at Danielle. “Have fun in Greece.”

“Thanks.” Danielle smiled back until the woman turned away, and her smile instantly fell to a frown. “Antalya is in Turkey, you moron,” she grumbled, grabbing her bag and putting it on her shoulder. No one noticed the new, oversized watch on her wrist.

* * *

“This is going to be a disaster,” Marinette whispered once she and Alya were in the kitchen, just out of Adrien and Nino’s earshot. “I’m going to say something stupid and then Adrien will never want to talk to me again.”

“You’re overreacting.” Alya glanced to the two boys, then back to Marinette. “He’s worried you’re still upset over the gum thing; he’d do just about anything to keep you happy. The only reason he might stop talking to you is if he thinks he pissed you off.”

Marinette’s eyes went wide. “What if that happens?” she asked. “What if I react wrong and he thinks I’m angry?”

Alya groaned quietly. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that,” she muttered. With a sigh, she put her hands on Marinette’s shoulders. “Think of it this way,” she offered, “if Adrien ends up spending more time here avoiding his cousin, you’ll have an excuse to get to know him better and vice versa. He’ll learn your reactions to things and figure out when you’re actually angry and when you’re not. Just make sure to type up some talking points so you’ll have something to go back to if you flounder.”

“You mean when I flounder.”

“You get the point.” Alya looked over to Nino and Adrien, then back to Marinette. “This is your chance, M. Don’t pass it up. Take the plunge, live deep, and a bunch of other cliche motivational quotes. Got it?”

Marinette nodded. “I can do this,” she whispered. “I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I will use this as a chance to-”

“Do you need any help?”

Any composure Marinette had flew away in that instant, and she let out a yelp as she turned to face Adrien. “No, no, we’re totally good here. Everything’s great. We’re great. You’re great.” She looked over to Alya just in time to see her bury her head in her hands. Marinette looked back to Adrien and smiled. “So... lunch is ready!”

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. “You... haven’t even turned on the stove.”

Marinette looked at the stove and sure enough, the croque monsieurs were completely uncooked. She let out a nervous laugh and turned back to Adrien. “I knew I forgot something! You’re so observant. That’s great; being observant is great!”

Alya grabbed Marinette’s shoulders and turned her to the stove, helping her to turn it on. “We’ll get there eventually.”

* * *

Lunch came and went, and as Adrien wandered back into the classroom with Nino he froze halfway to his desk.

“Uh... you okay, dude?” Nino asked, waving his hand in front of Adrien’s face. He followed his best friend’s gaze up to the back of the room, where he saw a blonde girl sitting next to Nathaniel, a book in her hands. “Oh, that her?”

The blonde girl looked up and took her feet off the desk, lowering her book as she did. “No need to get your panties in a bunch, Dree,” she mocked. “It’s just through June.”

Adrien groaned. “Nino, this is Danielle. Danielle, Nino.” Without waiting for a response from either of them, he went to his desk and sat down.

Danielle rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat.

As class began, Ms. Bustier cleared her throat. “Alright, I’m sure some of you have already met our new student, Danielle Agreste. Danielle, if you’d stand up.”

Instead of standing, Danielle just lifted her hand in a mock wave. “Sup?” she greeted the group.

Ms. Bustier sighed and shook her head. “Miss Agreste, I’m not sure how your classes are handled in America, but here, you show respect. Stand up please.”

Danielle sighed and got to her feet, tilting her head to the side. “Hi, my name is Danielle, I’m an Aquarius, and I’m here because I got kicked out of my old school for beating someone up. The end.” She sat back down in her seat and leaned back, making it clear she wasn’t interested in being there.

Adrien cringed and let his head fall to the desk again. “Please kill me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent a year working on this fic, and I'm so glad to finally publish it! If you could take a moment to review, it would really brighten my day. I've spent a lot of time on this, and your feedback is important to me. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danielle learns that stealing can have unintended consequences.

As the day came to an end and all the other students left, Ms. Bustier asked Danielle to stay behind. “Miss Agreste, I understand if you don’t want to be here, but I expect you treat me and my classroom with respect,” she declared, voice firm but kind. “If nothing else, treat your peers with respect. You all deserve that.”

Danielle looked out the window and inhaled sharply, not wanting to come up with a response. “I won’t be here long anyway.”

“Regardless, I’d like you to behave appropriately.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” Ms. Bustier said with a nod. “You’re free to go.”

Leaving the room, Danielle kept her head down and moved as fast as she could without running. She’d nearly made it to the exit when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Reflexively, Danielle spun around, fist ready to strike. She stopped herself just short of Chloé’s face.

Chloé let out a squeak and jumped back, nearly falling over. After Danielle lowered her hand and Chloé was certain she wasn’t going to attack, Chloé grabbed her hand and dragged her into the bathroom.

“What’s up?” Danielle asked, keeping her mask of apathy. “I can’t stay here long; homework is going to take me forever with the translating.”

Chloé scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I can have Sabrina do that,” she declared. “What we need to talk about why you’re being such a bitch. You’re warm-hearted, Danielle; this isn’t you.”

“The Chloé I know isn’t a bitch either, but here we are.” Danielle adjusted her backpack and turned to leave. At the doorway, she stopped and looked at Chloé again. “And while we’re at it, my Chloé wouldn’t be so superficial and use people either. Get your life together before coming after mine.”

“I’m going to let that slide because I know there’s gotta be a reason you’re acting like this,” Chloé insisted. “I don’t know why you’re being rude on purpose and shutting people out, but I know it’s not just because of your personality. I get it if you don’t want to talk to me or Adrien, but talk to someone.”

Danielle turned on her heel and went back outside, meeting Adrien at the bottom of the front steps.

The two pointedly refused to speak to each other on the drive back to the mansion. They stared out opposite windows, watching the city pass them by. Getting into the house wasn’t much different, the two only walking together because their rooms were across the hall.

While Adrien shut his door with barely a click, Danielle slammed hers, shaking the portraits on the wall. She threw her backpack on the bed and flopped down, groaning into the sheets. After a moment of just lying there, she propped herself up and looked at the watch on her wrist.

“Movado...” she muttered to herself, recalling the name inscribed on the back. She’d already done her research during class, and while it was valued at nearly a thousand dollars, she could probably fence it for 250 at best, and that wasn’t even considering the fact that she’d be selling it for euros.

Danielle reached in her backpack and pulled out her laptop, opening it to reveal five pages already up. The first was for a page advertising train tickets from Paris to Munich, minimum €200, the second advertising train tickets from Munich to Sofia, minimum €100, the third following the same pattern, but from Sofia to Istanbul for a minimum of €50, the fourth advertising trains from Istanbul to Antalya for another €100, and lastly a page with a list of pawn shops in Paris.

Overall, Danielle needed €450 just to get to Antalya, not counting food and lodging. The watch would barely get her to Germany. Sure, flying had crossed her mind, and it would only cost €225. On the flip side, it would be easier for her to be tracked and detained if her uncle caught onto her plan.

A notification popped up on her screen, and she clicked on it. A new page opened to what could only be described as a shadier version of Craigslist, and she read the message.

I heard you’re staying with the Agrestes. I know some of Gabriel’s competitors would pay big money for his designs.

Danielle clicked on the reply box and typed: I’m in. She slammed her laptop shut and rolled off the bed.

It had been about three years since Danielle had the chance to be in her uncle’s office, but she still had a relatively good memory of the house. It was past the lobby and three turns to get to the back of the house. Easy as pie.

Danielle slid into the office without anyone even seeing her, a nice advantage of being below the social radar. She walked over to the desk, checking around the room to make sure she was alone before she started opening drawers. Pens, pencils, blank sheets of paper... no designs.

With a prayer and a frustrated huff, she pulled on the last drawer. Stuck, of course. She gave it a yank, and it jerked open for her.

Danielle rolled her eyes when she just saw more pencils and a brooch. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she sighed. She picked up the brooch, inspecting it for any sort of label or sign of worth. It hypnotized her, holding her gaze for far longer than it should have.

She shook her head, realizing she’d been distracted by the brooch and still hadn’t found any designs to sell. Before she could look any further, she heard footsteps.

Danielle cursed under her breath, slamming the drawer closed. To her shock, the brooch she’d picked up got caught and broke in half. Moving fast, she shoved the half of the brooch she still had in her pocket and straightened her back, turning to look at the painting of her aunt.

“And just what are you doing in my office, Danielle?”

Danielle jumped and turned around, feigning surprise when she saw Gabriel. “Hey, Uncle G, I was just looking for you,” she lied. “I was wondering what dinner would be.”

“That is a question for the chef,” Gabriel replied. “He’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Thanks,” Danielle said with a nod. She scurried out of the office and back to her room, locking the door behind her. She let out a sigh of relief and removed her jacket, throwing it on the couch. She sat down, turning on the TV.

“You’re not Hawk Moth.”

Danielle turned her head in the direction of the sound and was met with the semi-transparent image of a... hell, she didn’t even know how to describe it. “You... what... how... is this Uncle G trying to get back at me for snooping?” she asked. “Are you a hologram?”

The creature giggled. “No, silly, I’m a kwami!” they replied. They looked at their hand and frowned. “Though I do feel kind of funny. Where’s your miraculous?”

“My what?”

“Your miraculous,” the creature repeated. “The brooch.”

Danielle slowly reached down, pulling the brooch from her jacket pocket.

The creature let out a soft whine. “Oh no,” they sighed. “I was afraid of that. You don’t have the full miraculous, so you won’t be able to access my full powers. I bet we can still make things hard for Hawk Moth, though! What’s your name?”

“D-Danielle,” she choked out. “What the hell is a kwami? What’s going on? How is this related to the brooch?”

“My name is Nooroo, and with me, you can give someone else superpowers to fight evil! As long as you wear the brooch—rather, your half of it—I’ll be with you... or at least I think I will. A miraculous has never been broken before.”

Danielle opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to gather her wits about her. “Like Ladybug and Chat Noir?” she finally asked.

Nooroo nodded excitedly. “Exactly!” they confirmed.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Danielle replied with a nervous laugh. “I don’t... I’m not a hero. I beat a guy into a coma because... well, it’s a long story that I’m not really supposed to talk about.” She shook her head and ran her fingers over the brooch. “Maybe I should just put this back in that drawer...”

“Please don’t!” Nooroo begged. “Hawk Moth is not a good person! If you put the brooch back, he’ll just get all his power again! Do you really want to be part of that?”

Danielle sighed and slumped her shoulders, eyes fixed on the brooch. “Fine,” she agreed, putting the brooch on her shirt before sliding her jacket back on to hide it. “You’d better not get me killed.”

Nooroo giggled. “I’ll do my best. We have a lot of work to do if you want to beat Hawk Moth!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone (Danielle) save this precious cinnamon roll kwami. Thanks for reading the latest chapter! If you could take some time to review, it would really make my day! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danielle's inner monologue: what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck?

The next day seemed strangely ordinary when you consider the fact that Danielle was accosted by a magical creature just eighteen hours earlier. No one looked at her like she’d grown a second head or had a tiny magical creature hidden in her pocket. It was just an ordinary day.

Suddenly, Danielle cried out, clutching her head and falling out of her seat. Painpainpainpain so much pain-

“Miss Agreste!”

Danielle jerked her head up, looking at Ms. Bustier, but all she saw was a blur. “I- head- migraine- bad-” she choked out. “Can I go to the nurse?”

Ms. Bustier’s face softened, and she nodded. “Adrien, help your cousin to the nurse,” she ordered coolly.

“No!” Danielle quickly objected as she felt the pain subside, just a tiny bit. “I-I can make it myself.” She got to her feet and grabbed her bag, stumbling down the stairs and out the door. Instead of going to the nurse, though, she wound up in the bathroom and fell to her knees.

Nooroo flew out of her pocket and looked her in the eye. “Danielle, Hawk Moth is making another akuma!” they exclaimed.

“I feel it,” Danielle whimpered. “There-there’s pain and anger and fear and-”

“You have to snap out of it!” Nooroo insisted. “I know it hurts, but you can stop it! Just say ‘wings rise!’”

Danielle nodded. “Wings rise,” she repeated. Instantly, Nooroo flew into her half brooch, and a cane materialized in Danielle’s hands. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that happened. “Nooroo, where’s my costume?” she asked. She felt a tingling in the back of her mind, but nothing she could communicate with. “Great.”

Danielle looked around, struggling to find a solution. The tingling came back, and it hit her. “Theater department.” She ran out of the bathroom and across the courtyard, skidding to a stop in the theater hall. From there, she fumbled around until she found the costume room, and she shed her jacket, replacing it with a light, blue-gray cardigan with a hood. “Okay,” she whispered. “Mask, mask, mask, mask, mask... Ah ha!”

Knowing she didn’t have a moment to lose, she pulled the mask on and flipped her hood up. “Alright.”

By the time Danielle got to the front, the entryway was engulfed in flames. “Oh crap!” she yelled, running back up the stairs and into her classroom. Instantly, all eyes turned from the fight outside to her. “The building’s on fire, and you’re all just standing around?” she snapped.

“The building’s on fire?!” Kim yelped.

“Yes!” Danielle yelled back.

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “And just who are you?”

“I’m... uh... look, it’s my first day and I don’t exactly have time to come up with a name right now! You all need to get-” An explosion of glass made Danielle jump, and she turned to see the fire burn away the hall. “Fuck!” She looked back to the class, now cowering, and she felt... angry. So angry... but it wasn’t her own.

“You...” Danielle mused, looking at Chloé. “Everyone else is terrified, but you’re angry.”

“The heat messes with my hair,” Chloé replied, as though that would explain everything. “If I could stop that stupid fire myself, I would.”

“What if you can?” Receiving no answer, Danielle continued. “I have the same ability as Hawk Moth. I can give someone powers, and if you’ll let me, I can turn you temporarily to stop this thing- or at least give Chat Noir and Ladybug some help.”

“Let you?” Chloé asked. “Can’t you just turn people involuntarily?”

“I think I can, but I’d rather not.”

Chloé stared for a moment before nodding her head. “Alright, I’ll do it. If you were evil, you’d do it without my permission, so... this better not be a trick.”

“It’s not.” Danielle held her hand out in front of her and whistled, and a butterfly flew into her hand. She waved her free hand over the butterfly and it turned black, then she lifted the butterfly towards her face then blew it towards Chloé. It flew into her sunglasses, and dark purple bubbles surrounded her. When they departed, Chloé looked like a cross between a human and a squirtle with hoses for arms.

“Alright, go put out the fire,” Danielle ordered, and she ran past Chloé, opening the window. She launched herself out, landing between the akuma and Ladybug and Chat Noir, and her cane landed on the akuma’s head, causing it to stumble back. Without hesitation, Danielle held her cane out in front of her body again, putting a barrier between herself and the akuma. “I’m not sure how this thing works, and I’m not afraid to use it!” she yelled at the akuma. Getting a better look at it, she realized it was dressed like a firefighter, only with a flamethrower attached to its back.

“Nice of you to drop in, but maybe leave this to the experts,” Chat said.

Danielle turned to look back at him, giving the akuma a chance to knock her out of the way. She landed with an ‘oof’ in the grass, and when she sat up, she narrowed her eyes. “Okay, you wanna go, let’s go.” She got to her feet, only to have to dive out of the way of Chat Noir as he was tossed around.

“Leave this to the experts, huh?” she mocked. “I just want to help.” She tried to jump up on a bench, only to overshoot and wind up on top of the akuma. “Whoa shit!” She grabbed onto the akuma’s collar, doing her best not to get thrown off.

“I am Firestarter!” the akuma roared. “I must have the miraculous!”

“Yeah, not happening, buddy!” Danielle grunted. She closed her eyes as Firestarter threw flames into the air. The heat made her arms tingle and burn, and she knew her sleeves were gone.

“Lucky Charm!”

Danielle opened her eyes and saw Ladybug holding a bottle of nail polish remover. They both furrowed their brows in confusion, the latter looking around in an attempt to find a solution. Finally, her eyes landed on the akuma’s helmet, and she grinned.

“The helmet, throw it!” Ladybug yelled. “Throw it in the air!”

Without hesitation, Danielle yanked at the strap, freeing the helmet, and she threw it in the air. Ladybug threw the nail polish remover at it just as Firestarter bucked Danielle off. The movement caused the akuma’s flames to rise into the air, and the helmet exploded.

What happened next, Danielle wasn’t exactly sure. She was on the ground with Chat Noir’s arms wrapped around her; her ears rang, and her head spun. Ladybug’s call to undo the damage just barely hit the back of her mind as she tried to sit up, but Chat still had a hold on her. She turned and glared at him. “Let go of me,” she hissed.

“Well sorry for saving your life,” Chat replied as he dropped his arms, his chipper tone conflicting with the statement. “What were you doing out there? Who are you?”

“I was out there listening to my apparently suicidal kwami, and I’m...” She let out a huff as she ran through a list of aliases in her head. “I’m Leda.”

“Like the story with the swan?” Chat Noir asked.

Danielle blinked, surprised he knew of the myth. “Yes,” she confirmed. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to go let my water warrior out of the fire since, you know, there isn’t one anymore.” She took off into the school courtyard, ignorant of the two sets of eyes following her.

Danielle stopped in front of her own akuma and waved her hand, and a black butterfly flew out of its sunglasses and into the air, the color fading to white as it left. Chloé dropped to her knees, and Danielle got down to help her. “Are you alright?” she asked.

Beep beep!

Chloé nodded, a hand to her head. “I’m a little dizzy,” she confessed.

“I’ll help you get back to your class,” Danielle assured her. She ducked her head under Chloé’s arm and stood, pulling them both up. It only took a minute to get them both up the stairs and into the classroom, and Danielle helped Chloé sit in her seat.

Beep beep!

“Hey, that’s the sound Ladybug and Chat Noir’s stuff makes after a battle,” another student commented, and Danielle whipped her head around to look at Alya.

“Uh... yeah, whatever,” Danielle replied. “Gotta run.”

Danielle scrambled back down the stairs and into the bathroom just as another beep came from her brooch, and Nooroo flew out of the brooch, causing the disappearance of the cane. Without thinking, Danielle lunged and caught Nooroo before they could hit the ground.

“Ooohhh, that’s not right,” Nooroo mumbled. “You’re supposed to have five minutes after your warrior turns back, not two and a half. It must be because the pin is broken. You have to wear your own costume, or you could be revealed in front of everyone.”

“Yeah,” Danielle agreed. She set Nooroo down on the side of the sink and removed the mask and cardigan, shoving them in her bag, which had been left untouched in the chaos. She pulled out her leather jacket and put it back on, zipping it up so no one would see her shirt. She looked down at her hands, watching them shake. Adrenaline crash, she realized. That explained the continuing headache and sinking feeling in her stomach, too.

When she looked back over to Nooroo, the color drained from her face. Not only was Nooroo semi-transparent, but they were also wavering back and forth. “Nooroo, what’s wrong?” she asked. Her own problems vanished from her mind.

“Weak... hungry...” they replied. “I need food after you use your power to make someone a warrior.”

Danielle nodded in understanding. “Alright, anything you want, it’s yours,” she promised.

“Soft pretzels?” Nooroo asked.

“Absolutely. I had a headache before the attack, so everyone will just assume I went home.” She picked up Nooroo and slid them into her jacket pocket before she pulled her bag over her shoulder and left the school.

They wound up tucked underneath the Pont des Arts, watching the Seine pass by. “Is there a doctor for kwamis, Nooroo?” Danielle asked between bites of her own soft pretzel.

“Yes,” Nooroo replied hesitantly, “but we don’t have time to see him today. Ladybug and Chat Noir will want to meet you when they go on patrol.”

Danielle furrowed her brows together and pursed her lips. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she declared. “You need someone who can get you back to normal, and Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t seem to like me that much.”

Nooroo dropped their piece of soft pretzel back in the accompanying bag and flew up to Danielle. They put their hands on either side of Danielle’s face and squeezed lightly. “Stopping Hawk Moth is the best way to get me better, and Ladybug and Chat Noir want to do that, too. They’re your teammates; you need to befriend them.”

Carefully, Danielle picked Nooroo up and let them sit in her opposite hand. “I don’t really do teamwork,” she said. “The last time I was on a team, I kind of got screwed over. I trusted them, and they didn’t just let me down; they threw me off a cliff to the wildebeests like Scar did to Mufasa.”

When Nooroo just gave her a confused look, she sighed and shook her head. “We’re gonna have to watch some Disney soon.”

“If I watch it, will you meet with Chat Noir and Ladybug tonight?” Nooroo asked. “They’re always spotted at the Eiffel Tower at eight on Tuesdays.”

Danielle laughed and nodded. “Deal,” she agreed. “You think you’re sneaky, don’t you?”

Nooroo giggled. “No, but I know you humans think I’m too cute to resist!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani goes on patrol and the gaywakening begins.

That afternoon, Danielle returned to the Agreste mansion, again ignoring Adrien before sneaking off to her uncle’s office. Her heart raced and her stomach jumped up into her throat- this was so much harder than stealing the first half of the brooch.

She couldn’t tell Adrien the truth. Danielle knew she wasn’t exactly kind or polite (in fact, she worked to ensure she wasn’t), but she wasn’t downright horrible. With any luck, she’d be able to sneak the other half of Nooroo’s miraculous out from under Gabriel’s nose and then pretend nothing had ever happened. Hawk Moth wouldn’t be able to transform or hurt any more people, Nooroo would be safe, and Danielle would be on her way to Antalya.

Danielle opened the desk drawer, and her face fell. “Shit,” she cursed under her breath. She reached in, feeling around to make sure it really was empty and no secret compartments held the brooch. A sigh escaped her, and she pulled her hand back out and shut the drawer. “Looks like I’m not going anywhere for a while.”

“Were you planning to?”

Nooroo flew out of Danielle’s jacket and hovered in front of her. “You can do some real good here, Danielle. I know you can.”

“It’s not... I’m just...” Danielle huffed and crossed her arms. “Paris isn’t for me.”

“How long have you been here?” Nooroo asked.

Danielle shrugged. “Like, a day,” she said dismissively.

Nooroo snickered. “You’ve been here a day and already decided this isn’t for you?” they asked. “I hate to break it to you, but no one can decide that easily.”

“Well I can,” Danielle insisted shortly. “Uncle Gabriel hardly talks to me, and my cousin Adrien and I don’t really get along anymore.” She headed towards the door, and Nooroo followed after, sliding into her jacket pocket. “And then there’s my new classmates- they sure don’t like me...”

“Are you sure that isn’t just because you’re pushing them all out?” Nooroo asked. “The only person I’ve seen you even attempt to talk to is that blonde girl you made a champion out of.”

Danielle looked down and to the side, averting Nooroo’s pressing gaze. She looked back up just in time to avoid walking into a table in the hall. She skited the the left, but the corner still caught her hip. She kept moving like it was nothing. “Why should I have to be the one to initiate anything?” she grumbled.

“Most people aren’t initiators, Danielle,” Nooroo explained. “They won’t try to be friends unless you try first. Now what about your cousin? You said you don’t get along anymore. How were things before you got here?”

“They were... okay.” Danielle finally made it to her bedroom door and grabbed the handle, pushing it open. She shut the door behind her, and Nooroo flew out of her jacket again. “We talked, hung out, at least when we got to spend time together, mostly over holidays. It was nice.”

Nooroo tilted their head, watching Danielle carefully. “What changed?” they asked.

Danielle let out a short breath through her nose and turned away from her kwami. “I don’t like talking about it.”

Nooroo didn’t miss the way her eyes watered and her breath hitched. “You can tell me when you’re ready. Just rest up and get ready for patrol tonight.”

Danielle nodded mutely and laid down on the bed, keeping her face away from Nooroo. After a few moments, she added on, “You, too.”

* * *

“So this is where the heroes meet before going out to save the world,” Leda mused as she walked across one of the Eiffel Tower’s support beam. It was such a strange thing, being there. She’d been up on each of the observation decks at one point or another as a child, but standing on a beam, the wind in her hair and not an inch of railing to protect her if she fell, gave her a spurt of energy and excitement, even if she kept it hidden. Chat Noir and Ladybug both turned to her, eyes wide with shock. Leda waved them off. “Calm down, my kwami told me you met here. Something about photos of you two on the Ladyblog?”

Ladybug and Chat shared a dubious look before turning back to Leda. It was Chat who spoke first. “Look, we’ve been burned by someone claiming to be a miraculous holder pretty recently, so you’ll have to excuse us for being wary,” he said.

Leda shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s cool, I get it,” she replied. “Wary’s good. I’m not exactly a team player myself; I’m just doing this cause Nooroo asked me to. Not to mention, they’re being stupid and refusing to tell me where the kwami doc is until I meet with you two.”

Another look between Ladybug and Chat. “Why would you need to see the Guardian?” Ladybug asked, turning her gaze to Leda.

“Because Nooroo’s been split in half or something,” Leda explained. “It happened when-” She froze, mouth open up no sound coming out. “I can’t say it. I can’t say who Hawk Moth is.” She let out a huff. “Wings fall.”

“Wait nonono-” Ladybug and Chat stopped when Nooroo appeared and the cane vanished, but Leda stayed in costume. “How...”

Nooroo looked from Leda to Ladybug and Chat, then back again. “Leda, what’s wrong?” they asked. “Do they not believe you?”

“I physically can’t tell them where I got the brooch,” she said, disbelief in her voice. “How is that possible?”

Nooroo sighed and looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry, Leda. The Miraculous magic forbids you from outing anyone but yourself.”

Leda let out a nervous whine. “You can do that?” she asked incredulously. “And now he probably knows who I am, too.”

“I’m sorry,” Nooroo sighed. “If it makes you feel any better, he can’t tell anyone who you are either.”

“Can you tell us who he is?” Chat Noir asked, eying Nooroo with an inquisitive eye.

Nooroo shook their head. “I’m sworn to protect the identity of whoever has the butterfly miraculous, even from other holders.”

Ladybug looked Leda over again, then to Nooroo. “You look like a kwami, but why are you transparent? And why don’t you transform Leda into a different appearance?”

“I think it’s because the brooch was broken in two,” Nooroo explained. “It’s never happened before, so the effects are... undetermined. Hawk Moth can’t transform anymore either.”

A smirk broke out over Leda’s face. “Oh, this is good though,” she laughed. “So I just have to get the brooch, and he won’t be able to do anything about it.”

“But you still have to get it,” Ladybug declared. “And if he were smart, he would have put it somewhere else by now, right?” Leda nodded. “Not to mention, I don’t think Nooroo’s gonna help you track it down.”

Nooroo shrugged but shook their head anyway. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Leda assured them. “You’re doing everything you can, and you need to focus your free time on resting.”

“Thanks, Leda,” Nooroo replied with a smile. “Now, you’ve got to transform back for your first patrol!”

Leda nodded. “Alright, Nooroo, wings rise.”

Nooroo zipped back into the brooch, and a cane appeared in Leda’s hand.

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look, silently conversing about their new partner. After a moment, they looked back to Leda. “Alright, you’ll be with Chat tonight to learn the ropes,” Ladybug declared. “You obviously have a kwami, so I don’t think it’s possible for you to be an akuma, but you’re still new at this.”

Chat nodded in agreement. “You take the north, we’ll take the south?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Ladybug gave them a two-fingered salute before swinging off to patrol her part of the city.

Chat turned to Leda. “Ready, Leeds?”

Leda scoffed and shook her head. “As I’ll ever be.” She pursed her lips as she looked out at the city. Her heart raced in her chest, adrenaline keeping her upright.

Chat hesitated, then he sighed. He walked up to Leda and put a hand on his shoulder. “Look, I get it if you’re nervous, but you’ll get used to it in no time. I’ll tell you a secret: the first time Ladybug and I met, we wound up wrapped in her yoyo string on the way to fight Stoneheart.”

No reaction came from Leda, so Chat sighed and tried again. “Nooroo wouldn’t have told you how to use their miraculous if they didn’t have faith in you.”

“And what does that say about Hawk Moth?” Leda asked. For once, Chat was at a loss for words. “Look, I don’t want to be a hero. I didn’t go searching for a miraculous. I just want to get out of Paris, but I can’t because Nooroo doesn’t deserve the shit they’re going through. I can help them, and I’m not going to let them down.”

“Sounds a lot like a hero to me,” Chat countered coolly. “Most people would just try to get rid of that brooch as fast as possible or use it for their own desires. But you? You’re focused on helping Nooroo.”

Leda rolled her eyes. “Just don’t tell anyone or it’ll ruin my reputation of being a stone-cold bitch.”

Chat winced, but he bit his lips together like he tried not to laugh. “Maybe lay off the cursing,” he said, despite the snort that snuck out his nose. “We’re supposed to be good influences.”

“You are, maybe, but I’m just a thief who chose the weirdest target ever.” A smile cracked on Leda’s face, and both she and Chat Noir burst out laughing.

“That’s... that’s not funny,” Chat said between snickers.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when patrol was done, and Leda and Chat bid their farewells. But instead of going back to the Agreste Mansion, Leda found herself drawn to Le Grand Paris. She remembered which room was Chloé’s from their sleepovers when they were younger, and she just hoped it was the same one.

She tapped on the glass door of the balcony, and a minute later, a confused Chloé came to the door.

“What...” Chloé slid the door open and looked Leda over. “What are you doing here?”

Leda pursed her lips. “Sorry if I woke you,” she said.

Chloé shook her head. “Look, I need my beauty sleep, but not that much,” she joked. “Uh... do you want to come in?”

“That’d be great.” Leda followed Chloé inside and looked around the room. Not much had changed since they were little, but there were fewer personal touches- you’d think it would be the other way around. “You have a nice place.”

“Yeah,” Chloé agreed with a smile. “It should be with how much money the hotel earns. You want some tea?”

Leda nodded. “Always,” she said, a sigh escaping her as she did. “My favorite’s peppermint, if you have it.”

Chloé went about making the tea, occasionally sparing a glance back at Leda. “You never told me why you were here, you know.”

“Right!” Leda jumped a little, straightening her back. “I just... I wanted to say thank you for helping today. You could’ve brushed me off or not believed that I was trying to help, but you trusted me instead. Someone you’ve totally never met before. Ever. At all.”

“To be fair, it surprised me, too,” Chloé confessed. “I’m not really the trusting type, but- I mean-” She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind.”

Leda tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed together. “What is it?” she asked.

Chloé took in a sharp breath and looked around the room. “I’ve been attacked four times by akumas I caused in my own bedroom,” she said. “And that’s not even counting the others that have attacked me somewhere else in the hotel or around the city. I know people think I’m some heartless monster who doesn’t care, but I’m not stupid. I know what I’ve done, and if I can do something to fix it, I will... Not saying I’d do anything, but I want to at least do something.”

The kettle whistled, and Chloé poured a cup for Leda and passed it off to her. Leda took a sip, then sat down on the sofa. “Why are you like this?” she asked. Everything had been so much different when they were children.

“It’s easier,” Chloé explained. “It’s easier to let people hate me than it is to become friends with them and find out they only liked me because of my money or start dating them only to find out they wanted to use my father’s position to get publicity for something or other. It’s just easier. It hurts less.” She scoffed and shook her head, sitting down on the coffee table across from Leda. “Why am I even telling you this?”

“Because you need a friend?” Leda offered. “I’ll tell you, I could use one, too.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Why would you need a friend?” she asked. “You’ve got Ladybug and Chat Noir, don’t you? And I bet you have lots of friends as a civilian.”

Leda sighed. “They don’t really trust me yet,” she said. “Not that I can blame them after... was it Volpina who had a fake miraculous?”

“Yeah, that’s-” Chloé stopped, watching Leda carefully. Leda straightened up, a hint of panic in her eyes. “You’re not from Paris, are you? I thought you had a bit of an accent! And that’s why you aren’t sure about the akuma’s name!”

Quickly, Leda reached out and grabbed Chloé’s hand. “Please don’t tell anyone,” she begged. “I need to put as much distance between me and my civilian identity as possible, and if we both arrived within the same month, it’s not gonna be pretty.”

Chloé shook her head. “Your secret’s safe with me if mine’s safe with you,” she promised.

Leda hesitated, leaning back on the couch. “You don’t want people to know you’re not a horrible person?” she asked.

“Oh, no, I’m a horrible person,” Chloé insisted. “I just don’t want people to know why I’m a horrible person. And you didn’t tell me about your friend situation as a civilian.”

“I’m the new kid,” Leda declared. “No one wants to be friends with the new kid.”

Immediately, Chloé snorted. “You should meet the people in my class,” she said. “First day of school, Alya Césaire got her best friend. Second day, Adrien Agreste got his, as much as I hate to admit that he doesn’t really see me as a best friend anymore. Lila Rossi would have gotten one if she wasn’t outed as a big, fat liar. Give it a few days. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I guess,” Leda replied with a sigh.

She put her mug down next to Chloé on the table, then grasped Chloé’s hands. “Are you okay after I akumatized you? I’m not entirely sure how it all works.”

Chloé nodded. “I’m fine,” she promised. “I mean, I felt kind of weird after, but it wasn’t much different than it was after Hawk Moth got me. Once I got over the initial disorientation, I was good.”

Leda let out a sigh of relief, her head dropping. “Good.” She looked back up and realized her hands were still locked with Chloé’s. She jerked them back and sat up. “I’m... I’m gonna let you get some sleep.” She stood up and moved towards the balcony. Before she left, she cast Chloé a smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“You, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one bites the dust! Please review! It really makes my day to get messages from you all!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because every field trip to the zoo needs an akuma to go with it.

The next morning, Danielle wandered into the dining room, sleep still in her eyes. She rubbed at them and sat down in a chair, digging into her bacon and eggs with abandon. A few moments later, Adrien emerged, and Danielle gave him a short wave. “Good morning.”

Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed together, and he waved back. “Good morning,” he replied hesitantly. He slid into his own chair, staring at Danielle. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m fine. You?”

“Good...”

Finally, Danielle looked up at her confused cousin. “What?” she asked. “Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?” She lifted a hand to her cheek, rubbing at something that wasn’t there.

Adrien shook his head. “No, you’re just being nice to me. Kind of a turnaround from the last couple days.”

Danielle rolled her eyes and got back to her breakfast. “I’m capable of being nice,” she grumbled into her food.

“Sorry I mentioned it.” Adrien shook his head and turned his attention to his meal as well. The silence only lasted a moment before he spoke again. “What would you do if you caught your friend doing something dangerous?”

“Tell ‘em to cut it the hell out,” Danielle replied simply. She pursed her lips, thinking through her options. “Or maybe join them.” She looked to Adrien. “Why? Who’s doing what?”

Adrien seemed hesitant. “Well, you know Chloé?”

Danielle rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t know the girl I spent 90% of my time with whenever I was in town as a kid.”

“Are you gonna help or are you just going to be a sarcastic little shit?”

“Can’t I do both?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “You know what, never mind. I’ll handle it myself.”

Once they made it to school, Danielle ducked into the restroom.

“Well, it was a start,” Nooroo declared. “But you can’t get defensive every time someone notices you’re being nice.”

“Why not?” Danielle asked. “They shouldn’t be commenting on it in the first place.”

Nooroo rolled their eyes. “Now you’re just being petulant. People will have questions if you change your attitude suddenly, and you need to have an answer for it.”

Danielle nodded slowly. “Alright, how about ‘a tiny deity living in my pocket wants me to make better life choices?’”

“Ha, ha,” Nooroo replied dryly. “Get to class; you’re gonna be late.”

“Yes, drill sergeant.” Danielle gave a mock salute and left the bathroom.

Hardly anyone was in the hall, making it easy for her to spot Adrien and Chloé, even halfway across the courtyard. Danielle pulled back, listening in carefully. “Look,” Adrien sighed, “I don’t know why you suddenly decided to help, but you need to find a way to tell Ladybug and Chat Noir who Hawk Moth is. Write it, text it, lay it out in a game of Scrabble, whatever. They need to know.”

“What makes you think I know?” Chloé asked. “I’ve caused a lot of akumas, but contrary to popular belief, I’m not actually working with him. If I was, I’d tell him to stop sending out akumas that want revenge on me.” She turned to go up the stairs, but Adrien grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

He let out a frustrated huff. “I know you stole that half brooch from him because-” he seemed to catch himself and hesitate- “how else could you have done it? I know you’re Leda, Chloé. I saw you going back into the hotel last night.”

Chloé’s face fell, and she shook her head. “You don’t know what you saw,” she declared. “I’m not Leda; I was her champion yesterday.” The bell rang, and she shifted nervously. “Stop spying on me. We’re done talking about this.” Chloé turned on her heel, face red and shoulders hunched.

Reluctantly, Adrien followed after, unaware of Danielle trailing behind him.

They walked into class just as Ms. Bustier began, and they heard her say, “Today at lunch, we’ll be visiting the zoo during your lunch hour as part of your biology credit. You’ll all be doing a brief report on one of the animals there, no less than two pages, double-spaced. Does everyone understand?” She was met with nods and a handful of ‘yeah’s. “Good. Now let’s start the day with English.”

While the majority of the class moaned, Danielle grinned as she made it to her desk; she only needed to pay enough attention to answer questions when she was asked. The zoo would be a different story, but she didn’t need to worry about that just yet. As a result, she spent the majority of the morning zoned out, only realizing it was lunch time when Adrien came up to her desk.

“Ready?”

Danielle looked up, jerking back to reality. “Yeah,” she replied. She glanced at the door to see Adrien’s friends lingering, waiting for him.

* * *

Danielle trailed a few feet behind Adrien as the class walked into the zoo, knowing she’d need a translator for a few of the information posts. Her French was good, but not that good. When it came to the scientific terms, she was no better than a third grader.

Actually, scratch that. A third grader was probably better off than her.

The thought made Danielle sigh, and she followed Adrien to the panther exhibit.

“I think I’ll pass on the big cats after last time we were here,” Alya joked.

Nino snorted, and Marinette and Adrien cracked semi-reluctant smiles, giving Danielle the impression she was missing out on something. She cleared her throat, and Adrien spun to look at her.

“Uh, there was an akuma,” he explained. “Her dad, actually, he turned into a panther- Alya and Nino got locked in a cage together- it was a whole thing.”

“Had to be there?” Danielle asked, earning a nod in response. “Of course.” She pursed her lips and crossed her arms, turning away and looking around at the other enclosures.

Adrien, for his part, gave her a pitying look. “So it’s your turn to pick an exhibit.”

“No it’s-”

Adrien turned and shot Nino a look.

“Right, your turn.”

Danielle turned back and nodded slowly. “Well, your subtlety needs some work, but I’ll take it, I guess.” Her eyes wandered around again, landing on an atrium. A genuine smile curved onto her face, and she fell out of their defensive stance as she took the lead.

“Wait, where are we going?” Adrien asked.

“Over there!” Danielle nearly ran to the atrium, stopping at the door. She turned to the group, smile still visible. “Come on, it’ll be awesome.”

The color drained from the other four’s faces when they realized just where they were.

“The Butterfly Room?” Alya asked. “Really?” Marinette gently elbowed her in the stomach. “Okay, but we’re all gonna get akumatized, just saying.”

Danielle paid her no mind, walking in with the others following reluctantly after. “C’mon, it’s not like any of them are black and glowing!” she insisted. She spun and started walking backwards. “If you see any, we can leave.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Marinette mumbled, knowing Danielle was too far away to hear her.

Adrien sighed and tilted his head. “I get why she likes butterflies so much,” he said, standing a little away from the door where his friends stayed gathered. “My mom loves them, and so do Danielle’s sisters.”

Nino raised an eyebrow. “She’s got sisters?”

Adrien nodded. “Twins, ten years old,” he replied. “She’s also got a set of brothers who are eight.”

“Huh.” Everyone turned to Alya. “Twins are usually a genetic thing; both my parents are twins, and so are Ella and Etta. She- maybe you, too- probably has twins somewhere in her family tree.”

Adrien hummed absentmindedly, turning back to watch Danielle as she spun around. The butterflies flocked to her, like they were happy to have someone around who actually wanted to be near them. She stopped and held out her arms, smiling as the butterflies landed on her.

“I know she’s only been here a couple days so she doesn’t know any better, but it’s still kind of freaky,” Marinette said. “I’d be perfectly happy to do an assignment on pretty much any other bug.”

“Big mood,” Nino chimed in.

Danielle jerked suddenly, a hand going to her forehead. The butterflies didn’t seem bothered by her actions, flying away only briefly before returning.

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows and walked over. “Danielle, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Danielle choked out, voice hoarse. “Just another sudden headache.” She swallowed hard and forced a smile onto her face. “It’s probably taking me time to adjust to the air is all.”

At that moment, a scream rang through the air, disrupting the butterflies that had landed on Danielle’s shoulders and head. The five ran out of the room only to be met by a man with bright pink eyes, from the sclerae to the irises to the pupils. He stared at them, almost challenging them to move.

“We should leave.”

Alya snorted. “Are you kidding me?” she asked. “And miss getting footage for the Ladyblog?” She waved her hand in front of the pink-eyed man’s face. “Hello? Where did you come from, buddy?”

The man lifted his hand and swept his arm out, knocking the five teenagers to the ground.

“Did you just call him ‘buddy?’” Danielle groaned, slowly rolling over onto her side. She looked around, seeing many other people with pink eyes like the man who had just attacked them.

“My dad calls other drivers ‘buddy’ when he’s trying not to get road rage,” Alya explained, pulling Danielle out of her thoughts.

“I think that only applies with the driving thing, not supervillains.” Nino sat up and stretched his back, following Danielle’s lead and taking a look around. “Wait, where did Adrien and Marinette go?”

Danielle winced, not seeing her cousin anywhere. “I’ll go look for him.” She jumped to her feet and ran off, hiding behind a bench. She opened her jacket, and Nooroo flew out.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Nooroo, wings rise!”

The magic washed over her, and the second it was done, Danielle yanked her backpack off and opened it, pulling out her cardigan and mask. She pulled off her jacket and swapped it for the cardigan before shoving the jacket into her bag. Once the mask was on, it was show time.

“Alright, butterflies, I need a friend,” she muttered. On cue, a white butterfly flew over to her and landed in her hand. Leda waved her opposite hand over it, turning it black and purple. Then, she picked up her cane and gave the butterfly a little push into the air.

Leda jumped out from behind the bench and sought out the same feeling she’d gotten from Chloé the day before. Within seconds, she found it and felt a connection form.

Man, early middle aged, zookeeper, angry the animals are being put in danger by Hawk Moth. Otis Césaire.

Leda blinked, surprised the information had come to her so easily. “Can you hear me?” she asked.

She only heard the man’s response in her head. What the hell is this? Are you the akuma?

“No, but I can turn you into one to stop the one Hawk Moth made,” she declared.

Instantly, she felt acceptance, and the man transformed. “Roundup, your job is to gather as many of the brainwashed people as you can and get them in one place,” she ordered. “Keep them away from the civilians.”

Understood.

Leda took off running, trying to find the real akuma in a sea of pink-eyed creatures.

“You again?”

Leda turned her attention to the source of the sound just as Chat Noir landed next to her.

“I thought you were gonna check out after patrol last night,” Chat confessed.

“Like hell,” she replied sharply. “Nooroo’s counting on me. Now where’s that akuma?”

Chat let out a breathy laugh. “I’m trying to figure that out myself.” He looked around and his ears twitched. “It’s like they’ve got some sort of hive mind.”

Leda shrugged. “Well, I know one way to find them.”

“What’s that?”

Leda grabbed Chat and lifted him up, bracing him on her shoulder. “Hey, Hawk Ass! You want the miraculous! Come and get ‘em!” She threw Chat Noir in the air, trying to draw even more attention to the two of them.

They’re in a swarm; they don’t want to separate.

Leda squeezed her eyes shut, brain pulsing from the connection to Roundup. In her distraction, she completely missed catching Chat. Instead, they crashed to the ground together, moaning in pain.

“I thought you were gonna catch me,” Chat groaned.

“So did I,” Leda replied. “Roundup was talking to me.”

“Roundup?”

“My akuma.” Leda moaned again and pushed Chat Noir off of her. “He said they’re in a swarm, like a hive mind like you said.”

A yell came from across the zoo, making both heroes jerk their heads in that direction. “Ladybug!” Chat called out. “We’ve gotta help her!”

They both leapt to their feet, running off towards the source of the sound. The crowds parted for them- even the hypnotized people; Leda couldn’t help but wonder why.

Part of the answer came as Roundup pulled the akuma back and slung him across an empty section of the zoo. It- he, possibly?- was too distracted to control his thrall, causing them to follow the rest of the crowd. “Thank you, Roundup,” she muttered, pulling her sword out.

“I think that’s a little excessive for now,” Ladybug said as she dropped down next to her. “Let’s try to stick with the cane.”

Leda rolled her eyes and twirled her sword, disregarding Ladybug’s statement without so much as a peep coming out of her. “Any idea where the akuma is?”

“The notebook; he’s from a class who came in to work on a project and someone made fun of him for wanting to do his assignment on carpenter ants.”

Chat Noir wrinkled his nose. “Really, though? Carpenter ants?”

“Carpenter ants,” Ladybug repeated. “Just get the notebook and don’t let the pheromone spray hit you- that’s how he’s controlling people.”

“Got it,” Chat and Leda replied in unison. They shared a look, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before they jumped in to help Roundup.

Leda only got in a few hits before she doubled over in pain, completely blindsided. She moaned, not even realizing what had happened as she fell to her knees. Her stomach burned, but nothing had touched her.

I’ve been hit.

Leda groaned again, unable to form words.

“What happened?” Chat asked, suddenly next to Leda when before he’d been so far away. “You went down with Roundup, what is it?”

Leda gasped for breath, willing control to come back to her. “I-I can’t-” She looked up just in time to see Ladybug tear apart the notebook. Grateful, Leda withdrew her akuma and pushed herself up, nearly falling back when she did.

“Leda?”

“Gotta go,” Leda panted, mustering up her strength and running off. She made it back to the mansion, amazed she found the will to do so.

She stumbled into her room, one hand on her head. The migraine was still there, and her body ached where her champion had been hit. She took a breath, only for it to come out as a cough. Her lungs burned and she could feel her ribs digging in with every breath.

Beep beep!

Danielle pulled her cardigan back and watched as one of the wings on her brooch flickered out. She whimpered in pain and rubbed her eyes, ignoring the spots that danced in her vision. The lights burned her eyes. Her ears rang.

Beep beep!

Nooroo zipped out of the brooch and immediately turned their attention to Danielle. “Danielle?” they asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Nooroo, I’m fine,” she replied. That was the last thing she remembered before the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take the time to review! It really helps me know how you all like the story, what you like, what I can do better, and so on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danielle experiences more side effects of wielding the butterfly miraculous, finally goes to see Master Fu, makes a new frenemy, and gets a couple of invites.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is a day late, but I had some little tweaks that ended up turning into a near-overhaul of this chapter, and I've gotta say, I like this version a lot better than the original.

Knock, knock, knock.

Danielle woke suddenly, sitting up on the floor. “Pretzels!” she gasped.

“Danielle, you’re going to be late for school if you don’t wake up!” Nathalie called from the other side of the door.

A pained moan escaped Danielle, and she rubbed her head. “I’m up!” she yelled back. A whimper escaped her immediately after, her ears ringing. “Oh hell...” She looked around the room, everything seeming off-kilter. Slowly, her memory came back to her. “Nooroo?” She whined again, her own voice too loud.

Nooroo flew up to her, floating a few inches in front of her face. “Are you alright, Danielle?” they asked.

“Yeah,” Danielle whispered back. “I just-” Her eyes went wide. “The kwami doc!” She scrambled to her feet and started throwing her clothes off, changing them for a fresh set. “I’ve gotta get you to him before school!” All worries about her headache were gone, replaced by concern for Nooroo. “Are you feeling okay? You look pale. We should go now.” The sentences came fast and short, punctuated by the worry in Danielle’s eyes.

Nooroo sighed and shook their head. They flew to Danielle again, putting a paw on her face. “There’s no time for that, Danielle. We can go after class; right now the most important thing is your education.”

Danielle grimaced and sighed. “If you say so. I just don’t want you to overexert yourself.”

“I won’t,” Nooroo promised.

“Let me at least get a soft pretzel for you before class.” Danielle opened the door, and Nooroo flew back into her pocket as she passed through the threshold. She walked by the dining room and stuck her head in to address Nathalie and Adrien. “I’m heading out; I wanted to get something before class.”

“I’ll call out for-”

“Not necessary!” Danielle called back, already halfway to the front entrance. She practically ran out to a street vendor, making her order and shoving it directly into her jacket for Nooroo.

Danielle turned to go back towards the school, and she checked her jacket to check on Nooroo. “You okay?” she asked.

Nooroo nodded. “Much better now,” they replied. “You’d better hurry if you don’t want to be late!”

Danielle scoffed. “Yeah, tragic.” Nooroo, thankfully, didn’t reply, and Danielle continued along at a relaxed pace. She walked into the classroom and saw a man standing at the front of the room instead of Ms. Bustier.

“You’re all welcome to come up closer and watch.”

The other students rushed the front desk, nearly taking Danielle down in the process. She winced as someone accidentally elbowed her in the stomach as they walked by, and she folded over, bracing herself on Adrien and Nino’s desk.

Adrien eyed her worriedly. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” Danielle rasped out. She took a deep breath and stood up, schooling her features to appear calm once more. “I just got taken off guard.”

After a moment, Adrien accepted her answer. “Alright,” he replied. “You gonna come up and watch with us?”

“Yeah.”

Danielle went up to the front and watched the cooking presentation with glazed-over eyes, fighting to stay awake for the next half hour. The only thing that jerked her out of her trance was the sound of the fire alarm. She shook her head, heading out to the courtyard with the rest of the class. She smelled no smoke, but she felt deception.

Confused, Danielle turned toward the source and saw Chloé. She quickly turned back to avoid being seen, a pang of sadness in her heart. She knew Chloé could be catty at times, but people could get hurt this way.

Once they all gathered in the courtyard, Mr. Damocles began to speak. “Some smart alec had the bright idea of calling the fire department.” Some of the students gasped, but Danielle just sighed and glanced at Chloé again. “Somebody amongst us thought it would be funny to waste the fire captain's valuable time.”

The fireman nodded in agreement. “Yes, in fact, if you wouldn't mind I-”

“Hold on!” Mr. Damocles grabbed the fireman by the shoulder and turned him back around to keep him from leaving. “I want the guilty party to apologize to you.”

“I'm sure it was Chloé. I saw her on her phone right before the alarm went off!”

Danielle looked to her right to see Marinette and Alya speaking in hushed tones.

“You seeing her make a phone call isn't solid proof,” Alya reasoned, earning a sigh from Marinette.

“Mr. Damocles, sir?”

Deceit, dishonesty, jealousy... All three came from Chloé.

“Yes, Miss Bourgeois?” Mr. Damocles asked.

“I saw a student leaving the classroom right before the alarm went off. It must have been her,” Chloé explained.

“Really? Who was it?”

Chloé smirked. “Let's see if she'll come clean. What do you say, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” She turned to look at Marinette.

Mr. Damocles- skeptical- spoke regardless. “Marinette, do you have something to tell the firefighter captain?”

“Urgh, wait. Excuse me, sir!” Adrien- _protective_ \- said. “It couldn't possibly be Marinette. Why would she disrupt her own father's cooking class?”

Alya- _incensed_ \- chimed in, “And I know for a fact that Marinette didn't even have her phone on her when she went out of the classroom!”

The fireman- _**anxious**_ \- cleared his throat. “Mr. Damocles, I must be heading out.”

“Just one more second,” Mr. Damocles- _**frustrated**_ \- said. “We're very close to discovering the truth.”

The fireman- _**EXASPERATED**_ \- sighed.

Danielle winced, feeling the emotions of everyone around her flooding in. She took a step back, a hand on her forehead as she closed her eyes, trying to block out her sixth sense. She missed the rest of the conversation, instead filled with sudden rage from nearly everyone in the room, all of it directed at Chloé.

A hand on Danielle’s shoulder made her jump, and she narrowly caught herself before she threw a punch. She blinked a couple of times, her mind catching up with her eyes to realize she was looking at her cousin. “What?” she asked.

“Weren’t you listening?” Adrien asked. Even without the furrowed eyebrows and frown, Danielle could feel his concern. “We have to clean the school because someone called the fire department.”

Danielle sighed and dropped her head, resigning herself to their punishment. “Isn’t collective punishment a war crime or something?” she grumbled.

Adrien ignored her question and squeezed her shoulder gently. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You’ve been holding your head a lot lately.”

Danielle took in a deep breath and put on a fake smile, flipping her hair out of her face. “I’m fine,” she lied. “Just allergies.”

* * *

After school, Danielle found herself halfway across town, standing in front of a massage shop. “This is the place?” Danielle asked as she stared at the sign. “Master Fu’s Massage Palace. Alright then.” She walked inside and knocked on the screen frame. The door opened, revealing an elderly man.

Nooroo flew up out of Danielle’s pocket and waved. “Hi, Master Fu,” they said. “This is Danielle, my new girl... well, kind of.”

Master Fu nodded, and despite his cool exterior, Danielle felt his worry and... something else. It was still worry, but it was... disconnected? Was that what it was? “I’ve noticed your powers are not being used as they should, to say the least,” he replied. “You look exhausted.”

“The brooch broke,” Danielle explained hurriedly. She pulled back her jacket and revealed the two wings and half a butterfly body. “And I can’t even out Hawk Moth because of the magic.”

“Exactly,” Nooroo confirmed. “I can’t say anything about Hawk Moth’s identity, but I’ll do everything I can to stop him.” They fluttered back down into Danielle’s pocket, fitting in it like it was a sleeping bag.

Danielle sighed and pet Nooroo’s head. “They’re really tired,” she said. “I’ve been feeding them soft pretzels as big as my head, but they’re still so exhausted. I’m worried that whatever happened when the brooch broke is gonna get worse.”

“I can feel their energy growing weak,” Master Fu replied. “I may be able to help them for a short time, but you must reunite the two halves of the brooch as soon as possible.”

“I’m trying,” Danielle promised. “I just... I don’t know where it is.” She glanced down at Nooroo then back to Master Fu. “They’re my friend.”

Master Fu looked Danielle over, a sly smile on his face. “Didn’t Leda just appear less than a week ago?”

A slight flush appeared over Danielle’s face, and she straightened her back. “Well, it’s not like people can’t become friends over a few days,” she replied dismissively. “And they’ve got that magic stuff going on, so... yeah.”

A laugh escaped Master Fu, and Danielle scowled in response. “I saw your fights on the Ladyblog,” he declared. “You fight like you’re up against someone bigger and stronger than you. It is all sneaky and based on being more agile than your opponent.”

Danielle shrugged. “Isn’t that how you win?” she asked.

“Against steroid-filled football players, perhaps.”

The color drained from Danielle’s face. “How did you-”

“But if you’re going to fight Hawk Moth’s akumas, you’ll need strength, balance, and control along with that agility you taught yourself,” Master Fu continued. “My granddaughter will arrive soon. She can teach you. Until then, I will work with Nooroo.” He hesitated, then tilted his head, eying Danielle carefully. “Your first champions, what were they feeling?”

“Angry,” Danielle replied simply. “The first didn’t want the heat to mess with her hair, and the second was mad that the animals he watched over were being used by an akuma.”

Master Fu nodded, a calm mask on, but Danielle knew better. He was worried; it radiated off him in waves. “And the butterfly? It was black?”

“Yeah.”

“That is very dangerous!”

Danielle gasped as a little green kwami flew out of the gramophone by the wall and straight towards her face. “What the... you’re a...”

“A kwami, like Nooroo,” the creature finished.

“You’re the second source,” Danielle whispered. If he heard what she said, he ignored it.

“My name is Wayzz, and you made a serious mistake in your first champions,” Wayzz told her. “Champions must be made off positive emotions, not negative ones. Anger, sadness, and fear will result in a weaker champion, and without proper treatment, your health will suffer long after they are gone. Only emotions like happiness, determination, and fear should be the base for champions.”

Danielle’s eyebrows furrowed together. “You said fear both times.”

“There are two kinds of fear,” Master Fu explained. “Selfish and selfless. Selfish fear is all about oneself, without care for others. Selfless fear is concern for another and can result in the most powerful champions.”

“O-okay, so what do I do about the akumas I made?” Danielle asked.

Master Fu held out his hand and guided Danielle to a mat on the floor. “I can work with you both today. Since you only made two akumas, you will be fine, but I fear Hawk Moth’s mind is long past any help I could offer. Wayzz, will you see that Nooroo is comfortable until I can get to them?”

Wayzz nodded and took Danielle’s jacket with the sleeping Nooroo in it.

As Danielle laid down on the floor, Master Fu put his hands over her, one above her chest and the other above her forehead. He began chanting and moving his hands in small circles. Gradually, Danielle started to feel lighter and more at ease, lulled into complacency.

A bell chimed, jerking Danielle out of her daze, and she sat up to look at the newcomer. She had short black hair and wore a light blue dress, and somewhere in the back of Danielle’s mind, there was a sense of familiarity to go with the girl’s feelings of irritation and begrudging compassion.

“Well, I should have figured the transfer student was the new hero,” she said as she shrugged off her jacket. She hung it on the hat rack in the corner before walking over. “Mireille Caquet. You’re Adrien Agreste’s cousin, right?”

Danielle nodded, then looked to Master Fu. “Is this your granddaughter, or did I just reveal my identity to a complete stranger?”

Master Fu laughed and nodded. “Yes, she’s my granddaughter,” he confirmed. “I suggest you get acquainted; you’ll be spending a lot of time together while I work with Nooroo.”

Slowly, Master Fu got up, and Danielle turned back to Mireille. “Uh... hi,” she said lamely as she got to her feet. “I’m Danielle.”

“Hi,” Mireille replied, sizing up her new student. “Tell me what you know about fighting.”

“What all is there to know?” Danielle asked. “Move fast, get the opponent down, end of story.”

Mireille raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?” she asked. “That’s your only tactic?” Without waiting for a response, she shook her head. “Don’t answer that. We’ve got a lot of work to do, starting with your mindset. You put too much weight in the expectation that your opponent won’t be faster and more agile than you.”

Danielle shrugged. “They never are,” she replied simply.

“For now.” Mireille walked up to Danielle and took her hand. She jerked her arm, and suddenly Danielle was pulled to the floor.

Danielle flipped over and tried to kick Mireille’s legs out from under her, but Mireille caught her foot and bent it backwards, causing Danielle to cry out in pain. Mireille pushed her onto her side, then put her hands on her hips.

“Ready to learn now?”

Danielle groaned and nodded. “Yeah,” she rasped out, grabbing at her ankle.

Mireille nodded and hummed. “That’s what I thought.” She sighed and offered a hand. As she pulled Danielle up, she said, “Be back here tomorrow after school and we’ll start over.”

“Alright.” A frown spread over Danielle’s face. “You seem a lot nicer on TV.”

“My grandfather taught me that in order to teach someone, you have to know how they respond,” Mireille explained. “Just seeing how you act at school, I know you’d hate it if I were nice.”

Before she could respond, Danielle’s phone buzzed, making her jump, and she checked the messages. “Huh,” she mused. “Chloé’s hosting a party.”

Mireille raised an eyebrow. “Godspeed.”

* * *

Danielle walked through the doors of Le Grand Paris, looking for any sign of her host.

“Why do you look so worried?” Nooroo asked from her jacket pocket. “It’s a party; you should be having fun!”

Danielle wrinkled her nose. “I’m not really that big on parties,” she explained. “Lots of people, drinks of unknown origin, plenty of places to avoid being found... not my style. I’m just here because Chloé invited me.”

Nooroo shrugged, accepting the reply, and ducked their head back down so they wouldn’t be seen.

Cautiously, Danielle walked forward, casually waving off the waiter who offered her a glass of soda (at least she thought it was soda- alcohol wasn’t exactly illegal for people her age to drink in France). She finally caught sight of her host, jumping on Adrien’s back. Danielle covered her mouth and stifled a giggle. As she got closer, she overheard some of the conversation.

“It's awesome, Chloé!” Adrien said.

Marinette let out a grunt that made her sound more like a petulant child than whatever it was she was aiming for.

Chloé went around greeting her guests with kisses on the cheeks until she got to Marinette. The two froze, the music stopped, and all eyes were on them.

Danielle walked a bit closer and leaned in towards Adrien. “Am I missing something?” she whispered.

“They don’t really get along,” Adrien whispered back.

Reluctantly, Chloé and Marinette kissed each other on the cheeks, then turned their backs to each other and began gagging.

“Really?” Danielle asked. She walked up and put a hand on Chloé’s arm. “Was it really that bad?” She smirked, an eyebrow raised.

The sarcasm went over Chloé’s head, and she nodded as the music turned back on and the class got over the shock of the two arch enemies sharing a kinder moment. “I’d kiss you, too, but I don’t want to get Marinette’s germs all over you.”

Danielle snorted. “I think I’ll survive,” she replied, leaning in and kissing Chloé on both cheeks. When she pulled away, her cheeks were on fire. There was only one option: divert her attention. “So is this about the fire alarm from this morning?”

Chloé looked away, and Danielle felt guilt radiating off her, but she couldn’t tell if it was over her actions or over getting caught. “Maybe.” She caught herself and swallowed, plastering a fake smile on her face again. “I need to go talk to Jean-Quinn.”

Chloé sauntered off, leaving Danielle standing there, alone and confused.

The party dragged on for Danielle, as Adrien and Chloé constantly got pulled away before she could talk with them for more than thirty seconds. She’d only been at the school for four days, and even then, she wasn’t exactly making the best impression.

A scream pulled her out of her thoughts and another person’s fear filled her, and she turned to see Chloé running away from Sabrina. Danielle watched in confusion as the pursuer changed, but never the target.

“An akuma,” she finally realized.

Danielle ducked into the kitchen, her heart racing. Nooroo flew out of her jacket, and she gave them a nod. “Nooroo, wings rise!”

Magic washed over her, and her cane appeared in her hand. “Alright, now I just gotta-” The color drained from her face as realization hit her. “I left my costume at the house. I left my costume at the house! Oh, shit, shit, shit, _shit_!”

Danielle peeked out through the kitchen’s porthole to see Chat Noir trip Kim, sending him into the ball pit. “Okay,” she breathed. “Maybe they don’t need my help tonight.”

Max suddenly threw a chair at Ladybug and Chat Noir, the two narrowly dodging. Danielle dropped back down and plastered herself against the wall. “Alright... maybe they do.”

Danielle closed her eyes and reached out to the room behind her, searching for anyone who was angry or upset- no. Master Fu said to look for happiness, determination, and selfless fear.

The world turned into shades of gray, each person transforming into a splash of color as she read their emotions. “Come on,” she whispered.

A lilac figure grabbed Chat Noir and threw him away from Ladybug just before he could cataclysm her.

“Perfect.”

A butterfly flew into Chloé’s belt, and Danielle began to speak. “Hello again, Chloé,” she said. “That was very brave of you.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Chloé replied with a smile.

Ladybug’s eyes were wide, and she looked Chloé over. “Please tell me you’re Leda and Hawk Moth hasn’t figured out how to make multiple akumas at once,” she begged.

“It’s Leda,” Danielle declared through Chloé.

“You little brat!”

Ladybug and Chloé turned to watch as Chat Noir got up, and Ladybug took off running up the stairs, calling out for her lucky charm as she went.

“What do I do?” Chloé asked. “I need a power or something to help them.”

“I... uh... fuck.”

“Are you allowed to curse?”

“No, Chat said I’m supposed to be a good influence,” Danielle confessed. “Follow them. I’m working on a power.”

Chloé’s jaw dropped, but she followed Ladybug and Chat Noir anyway. “You mean you don’t have a plan?”

Danielle rolled her eyes. “Sorry, next time I’ll ask Hawk Moth to wait for me to come up with a superhero before he attacks.”

Chloé stopped. “You can do that?”

“No! Just- oh my God, just follow them!”

“Okay, okay!”

Danielle closed the connection, a million ideas running through her head. Then, it hit her. She opened the connection back up. “You ready, Blayde?”

Chloé nodded. “But Blayde? Really?”

“Oh my God, you’re the worst,” Danielle muttered, sending the transformation to the butterfly, turning Chloé. The yellow all over her outfit stayed, but a set of throwing knives sat on her hip, and armor covered her body.

Blayde got up to the roof, her eyes out for Despair Bear. The second her eyes were on him, she threw a knife, severing one of the bear’s legs and nearly cutting Chat Noir along with it.

Taking the opening, Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around the bear’s neck. She threw the fork she’d gotten as her lucky charm, it landing perfectly on a table umbrella near Blayde. She cast a smile at her. “Would you be so kind?”

Blayde nodded and started spinning the table umbrella, yanking Despair Bear off of Chat Noir’s leg.

“No!” Despair Bear yelled. “Stop! What’s happening!?”

Chat Noir blinked, coming to his senses. “Ladybug?” he asked. “What are you doing?”

Ladybug grinned. “Oh, nothing. Just saving your skin with the help of our new friend.” She looked over to Blayde, who smiled and waved. “Hey, Leda! We’re doing an interview with Nadja Chamack tomorrow at six. Be there, okay?”

Blayde gave a little salute in response, and Ladybug turned her attention to the squeaky voice coming from the ground.

“Give me your Miraculous. You haven't defeated me, yet!” Despair Bear yelled, kicking at Ladybug’s foot.

“Watch your step,” Ladybug said, trying to hold back a laugh.

Chat Noir picked up Despair Bear, and Ladybug tore up the teddy bear’s head, sending everything back to normal. In addition, a little white butterfly flew out of Blayde’s belt, returning her to Chloé.

Ladybug smiled at Chat. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without either of them.”

Chat smiled. “Then I guess we’ve got a team going.”

The butterfly flew away, and Danielle let out a sigh of relief, sinking to the floor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a week-long hiatus, act II begins...  
> Summary: trauma and secondhand embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, heads up everyone: this chapter contains a brief mention of past rape toward the beginning. Go to the bottom notes for full trigger warnings and summary if you'd like to skip it.

“It felt amazing,” Danielle confessed to Mireille the next day. “I felt strong and in control and at peace.”

Mireille hummed and nodded. “Your feet are too close together,” she declared. “Your opponent will knock you over in a second.”

Danielle corrected her footing and moved into the next form. “Look, I know you don’t care about me and would probably rather be the butterfly yourself, but-”

“Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there.” Mireille stepped out of her position and straightened up, looking Danielle in the eyes. “First of all, I don’t want a miraculous. I’ve seen what it does to people. They become isolated from the people they love; it consumes them until it is the only thing they have left. If you ask me, the world would be better off without them.

“Secondly, I’m here to make sure you don’t get killed by an akuma or yourself. I’m gonna be a hard-ass because that’s how you work. You won’t trust anyone who’s nice to you because the last time you did, you were raped.”

The color drained from Danielle’s face. “How did you know about that?” she asked. “Those records were all sealed; no one would even believe me if I said it because my old school buried it so deep.”

Mireille sighed and glanced to the door, knowing her grandfather was in there working with Nooroo. “One of the turtle miraculous’s passive powers is to see people’s strongest and weakest points. Once my grandpa put yours together, it was easy to figure out. As for how I know, I read his journal.” Her face softened a little, but she didn’t reach out. “What happened to you is shitty, but I’m trying to make training easier on you, believe it or not. I’m not an expert or anything, but I’d recommend finding someone you can tell the truth to. Doesn’t have to be a cop or your guardian or anything, just someone. I’m not gonna make you do anything you don’t want to do- at least not in a non-training capacity- but I think it would help you to become a better holder.”

Danielle bit at the skin on her lower lip, contemplating her options. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost missed what Mireille said next.

“Why don’t you head out?” she offered. “You’ve gotta get ready for the interview.”

Danielle jerked her head up, stunned. “How did you know about that?” She asked skeptically.

Mireille rolled her eyes, and Danielle could feel her amusement. “It’s all over the news, dummy,” she reminded her. “Not to mention, I work at the station part-time.”

A pink flush washed over Danielle’s cheeks. “Right,” she muttered. “I’ll get Nooroo and see you tomorrow.”

* * *

Back at the mansion, Danielle sat on the roof, letting her legs swing over the edge. As Adrien came to sit next to her, she asked, “How did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t,” he confessed. “I was actually here to get away from piano practice, but while I’m here, you wanna talk?”

Danielle sighed heavily but didn’t say anything. They sat in comfortable silence for nearly ten minutes, Mireille’s words playing in Danielle’s head over and over, before she spoke.

“The guy I beat up in school, he ra- he attacked me first,” she said, not moving her gaze from the horizon. “I told the school, and they buried it. For a long time, I hated myself. Still kind of do. But I decided to get angry to distract myself, and I learned how to fight. Tae kwon do, boxing, krav maga... I took what I needed from each of them, and I practiced. Again and again until I was ready.

“It felt so good beating the shit out of that douche bag. When I heard the first bone break, I wanted to laugh. He finally knew what it felt like to be powerless. I thought that was all that I needed, but I just... kept going. I kept hitting and hitting until I heard his skull crack.

“He spent three days in a coma, but he was too afraid to officially identify me. The school decided to expel me because... well, they knew, and I agreed not to say anything about the ra- the assault as long as they didn’t press charges. Obviously, I’m breaking the rules by talking to you, but hey, that’s what I do.”

Adrien took in a shaky breath. “I’m-”

“Don’t,” Danielle stopped him. “I don’t need or want your pity. I got my revenge, and hey, now I get to spend more time with my favorite cousin.” She gave him a light punch to the arm before she got to her feet, offering her hand to Adrien. “I’m going back inside. You coming?”

Adrien shook his head. “Nah, I’ve got a friend who’s supposed to be calling me soon, and I could use the privacy from Father.”

Danielle snorted. “Good luck with that,” she replied. “If anyone asks, I’ll say you’re at Nino’s.”

Adrien cast her a cheeky grin. “So you actually were paying attention when I introduced you to my friends.”

“Don’t tell anyone; it’ll ruin my reputation.” Danielle called over her shoulder as she wandered back inside, her spirit feeling a tiny bit lighter and tons heavier at the same time.

The second she got back into her room, Nooroo flew out from her jacket pocket.

“I had no idea,” they sighed. “Danielle, I’m so sorry.”

Danielle rolled her eyes and shrugged, blinking away tears. “Like I told Adrien: I don’t want pity,” she replied. She walked over to her desk, Nooroo following behind.

“You can tell me anything, Danielle,” the told her. “I want you to remember that. You’re not alone.”

A small smile was drawn out of Danielle, she she shook her head. “Thanks, Roo. But we don’t have time for a big heart-to-heart tonight. We need to get to the TV station before the interview starts- and I need to find the station.”

* * *

When she arrived on the set, Leda dropped down next to Chat Noir and immediately fell back onto the couch. She looked to her right, noticing that Ladybug wasn’t there yet. “Oh good, I’m not the last one,” she mused. She reached out, taking a drink from the table in front of them. “Where is our fearless leader, anyway?”

“She’s not picking up,” Chat explained, showing his baton for proof.

“We’re live in ten, nine, eight-”

“Oh boy,” Leda muttered. This was either going to be miraculous timing- no pun intended- or a disaster.

“-seven, six, five, four, three-”

The doors swung open, and Ladybug swooped in, landing right in front of the couch. She fumbled for her balance for a second, but managed to right herself and sat down just as the camera started rolling.

Nadja let out a tiny sigh of relief before she started talking. “Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face. For our first edition, I welcome the beloved guardians of Paris- Ladybug and Cat Noir- and newcomer Leda.”

“Feeling the love,” Leda declared, a small smirk on her face as she gave the camera a wave.

Ladybug stifled a laugh. “Well, thank you Nadja, we're honored to be here,” she said.

“And hello to all my fans!” Chat blew a kiss at the camera, earning him a gentle shove from Leda.

“I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you tonight.”

“Don't encourage him Nadja,” Ladybug said, “or the cat won't stop purring all night!”

Chat rolled his eyes. “Don't listen to her. Bugaboo's just a spot jealous.”

Ladybug reached over and flicked Chat’s bell. “Hey, I thought we agreed on no more Bugaboo calling, pussycat.”

“But it's so cute!” Chat insisted with a laugh.

Leda watched the interaction and pointed at her mouth, pretending to gag.

“It's obvious you two are very close. How are all of you adjusting to a new teammate?”

“They’re like super embarrassing parents, only worse,” Leda declared, shooting her teammates a knowing look.

“We are not like that,” Ladybug and Chat said in unison, earning Nadja a look from Leda that appeared to say ‘see?’

Ladybug sighed, defeated, and put a hand on Leda’s shoulder. “It really is nice to have another person around to help fight, though.”

Leda tilted her head. “Aw, mom, you’re embarrassing me.”

“But surely it must give you some pause that she has the same power as Hawk Moth,” Nadja reasoned.

“It did, but after a couple akumas, we’re sure she’s on our side,” Chat replied. “Besides, if she was a fake, she wouldn’t be so mean to me.”

Leda rolled her eyes. “You make it so easy.”

Chat gestured to her, mimicking Leda’s earlier ‘see?’ look to Nadja.

Nadja hesitated for a moment, something clearly disrupting her train of thought, but she caught herself and smiled back. “How about we get a few questions from your biggest fans?”

Ladybug nodded. “Yep, let’s do it,” she agreed.

Nadja swiped at an automatic remote control from her tablet, revealing a video call from Chloé from her room on the large monitor display. “Hello caller. State your name and your question.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Uh, seriously Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but me. I'm only the most prestigious fan of Ladybug.”

“Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloé Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris-”

“And don't forget my daddy is the manager of the Le Grand Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city,” Chloé cut in.

Everyone in the studio cringed; Leda even felt the discomfort from up in the observation deck. “Er... thank you for reminding us,” Nadja recovered. “What is your question, Chloé?”

Chloé winked. “Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi, since as you all know, we're such very good friends - Ladybug, Chat Noir, Leda, and I!”

Leda glanced over at Nadja just in time to see her check her watch. “Uh, thank you, Chloé Bourgeois. Next caller...”

“Hey, I'm not finished, don't you just-” Nadja cut her off by switching to another video call, one with Alya Cesairé.

“Hi there, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Leda!” Alya cheered. “I'm Alya and I was wondering if you can grab me an interview for the Ladyblog. You know, since I have way more viewers than Nadja! What do you say?”

Leda’s jaw dropped. Talk about a power play.

Ladybug held it together better than she did. “Ah, yeah, sure Alya. I'd love to do that,” she agreed.

“That totally rocks. Thank you, thank you!”

Suddenly, a brunette girl, probably only five or so, peeked her head up into view of the screen. “I'm on TV?” She noticed Nadja. “Mommy!”

Nadja’s jaw dropped. “Manon? But, where's Marinette?”

“She had to go tell her parents something,” the child explained.

Alya winced and laughed nervously. “Uh, yeah, and sometimes, it can take a while.”

Suddenly, Nadja cut the call off and turned back to the trio on the couch. “Uh, Ladybug, Chat Noir, um, so a lot of fans think of you as a couple of superheroes. But also, as I quote and unquote, as a couple. Period.”

Ladybug shrieked, making Leda jump in her seat. “What!?”

“Can you confirm that you're dating? Here, tonight?” Nadja clarified.

Ladybug shook her head violently. “I'm very sorry Nadja, but we're superheroes. We're not supposed to answer such personal questions.”

Chat Noir snickered. “Meow, m'ladybug's grown claws.”

“We're here to ensure that all Parisians that they're safe and it's only a matter of time before we defeat Hawk Moth, that's all,” Ladybug insisted.

Nadja huffed, frustrated. “Fine. How do you explain these photographs then?”

All three heroes’ jaws dropped when photos appeared on the monitor of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing.

Chat began spluttering, trying to come up with the words. “What!? When did that happen!?”

“How do you not remember kissing someone?” Leda asked.

Ladybug slapped her hand to her forehead. “I was saving you, not kissing you!” she insisted.

Nadja put up another group of images, making Ladybug and Chat Noir gasp in surprise. “It's so obvious that you're both in love.”

Immediately, Ladybug shook her head. “These are just a bunch of photos taken out of context!” she snapped. “We're only doing our job. We're saving the city every day, we're not a couple.”

“But hopefully, one day...”

“Chat, not now!”

“Why won't you tell the truth?”

“I am telling you the truth, Nadja,” Ladybug insisted.

Nadja raised a skeptical eyebrow. “C'mon, the audience awaits your answer.”

Ladybug stood up. “This interview is so over.” She grabbed Leda and Chat Noir, jerking them up out of their seats.

“Woah, what's the rush?” Chat asked.

“Uh, there's an alert,” Ladybug declared, and Leda felt the deception coming from her. “Paris needs us right now!”

Chat wasn’t as perceptive, filled with genuine concern and fear. “Uh, sorry. When duty calls... Gotta get going!”

Nadja jumped up as well. “Hey, wait you three, the show is not over yet! Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer!”

Ladybug remained firm. “If they are true fans, they'll understand.”

“The Lady's right!” Chat agreed.

The trio left, leaving a stunned and disappointed Nadja in their wake.

When they finally stopped on a roof, Chat turned to Ladybug. “So... who are we saving again?”

Leda snorted. “Oh, you sweet, gullible child.”

“Just us,” Ladybug clarified. “Nadja was willing to do anything to make sure her show would be a success and I'm not about to answer anymore of her prime questions.”

Chat gave her a pitying smile. “That's the price of success, my lady, the price of stardom.”

“We're superheroes not stars we should be doing our jobs not looking like fools on TV,” she declared before swinging away.

“Wait!” Chat called after her. “I wasn't planning on getting home so early. Why don't we get some ice cream, I know the purr-fect place.”

He took off running, and Leda sighed, head falling back. “I’m not supposed to be the responsible one,” she whined. She looked back to the duo and gave chase, not wanting a fight to break out between the two.

Suddenly, she stopped, body lurching forward as she cried out in pain. Ladybug and Chat turned to her, concern in their eyes.

Leda clutched her head and whimpered when Chat put a hand on her back. “What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Hawk Moth,” Leda choked out. “We have to go- he’s akumatizing someone.”

Ladybug’s jaw dropped. “You can tell when he akumatizes someone?”

Leda nodded mutely, holding back tears. “We have to- have to find it.” She forced herself to stand up and turned around, running back to the TV station, knowing Chat Noir and Ladybug would follow.

They only made it across a few buildings when an advertising screen switched to a clearly-akumatized Nadja. “Don't be amused, it's just the news,” she said. “Tonight Ladybug and Chat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another. We’ll see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us.”

Chloé’s room appeared on the screen, and the color drained from Leda’s face. “Oh no,” she muttered.

Prime Queen jumped through the screen, and Chloé went on the defensive. “How dare you?” she demanded. “You have no business being here! Security!”

Prime Queen wrapped a cable around Chloé and pulled her in before turning back to the screen. “Let’s welcome our very first guest, Chloé Bourgeois, who claims to be a personal friend of our superheroes!”

“Yes, absolutely.” Chloé seriously didn’t back down.

Ladybug sighed and shook her head. “Goes to show you can’t believe everything you see on TV.”

Leda rolled her eyes. “Well she’s my friend in the mask, so we need to save her.”

“Oh, we definitely will, but that doesn’t mean I have to be her friend,” Ladybug retorted. “To the hotel?”

“To the ho-h no.” Chat’s eyes went wide at the screen suddenly switched to a subway car. “Oh that’s bad.”

“Dear viewers, the mad subway!” Prime Queen announced. “If it reaches 100 kilometers per hour, you can say goodbye to your prestigious friend.”

Leda gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “We have to save her!” she insisted.

Ladybug put her hands on Leda’s shoulders. “We will,” she promised. “We just gotta get to the subway and-”

“Will you dare to go through the screen to save your dear little Chloé?” Prime Queen asked.

“I guess that’s our ride,” Chat declared. “Not the kind of tube I’m used to traveling by.”

The three started walking backwards, trying to gain enough distance that they’d be able to make the jump. “One...”

“Two...”

“Three!”

The trio took off running and jumped off the edge, sailing through the screen and landing in a heap in the subway car.

“Ow,” Ladybug moaned. “It didn’t occur to me that the screen on this side would be smaller.”

“Me, neither,” Leda added, pushing herself up and knocking Chat off her as she did.

Chloé, for her part, was undisturbed by the jumble of the three. “Finally!” she snapped. “It took you long enough; now let’s get out of this underground hell!” She fell off balance and to the floor, and the heroes finally realized they weren’t alone.

Prime Queen smirked as she came through another screen at the other end of the car. “You’re about to become the biggest stars in TV history!” She held up her watch, revealing a set of bars telling her how many people were watching.

“The akuma must be in her watch,” Ladybug whispered. “I’ll take care of Prime Queen. Chat, you get the door, and Leda, get Chloé.”

The three split up to accomplish their tasks, but Prime Queen jumped back through the screen and the door was locked.

Leda knelt down next to Chloé, checking her over. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Chloé nodded. “I’d be a lot happier if I was untied,” she said, a hint of joking in her voice.

Leda withdrew her sword and waggled her eyebrows. “Hold still.” Without waiting for a response, she sliced through the cord, freeing Chloé.

“Here are the rules,” Prime Queen declared. “Ladybug and Chat Noir admit the truth live, that you’re a couple in love, and I’ll stop the subway.”

Leda cringed. “Why are shippers like this?” she muttered.

“Superheroes tell the truth!” Ladybug insisted. “Why admit to something that isn’t true?”

“I want my scoop!” Prime Queen snapped.

Ladybug hesitated, then whispered something to Chat. He nodded, and she looked back to the screen. “Alright, Prime Queen!” She grabbed Chat’s hand. “You’ve won. We confess. Chat Noir and I are... in love.”

Chloé leaned in towards Leda. “Is she always this extra?”

“Yes,” Leda confirmed.

The subway slammed to a stop, knocking all four of them to the ground. Ladybug wound up on top of Chat, and Leda and Chloé landed on their sides, noses not even a centimeter apart.

“By confessing their feelings, two of our heroes save the life of their fan and friend, Chloé. That’s what our viewers like!”

Leda looked up at the screen to see a frozen image of her teammates holding hands, a bunch of blue arrows pointing at it.

“But the audience isn’t breaking records yet- you’ll need to do better!”

Ladybug held her hands out to her sides. “Then come and get us!” she yelled. “You’re the show’s host, after all, and the public wants to see you, too!”

Prime Queen appeared to consider it, but a purple glow over her face made it clear she’d reject them. “My show, my rules,” she said as the butterfly outline faded. “To prove your feelings are authentic, you’ll need to take off your masks. To do so, you’ll give me your miraculouses.”

Leda scoffed. “Yeah, not happening.” She jumped up and slammed her cane into the main screen, shattering it.

Prime Queen, still on the remaining few screens, hesitated for a moment before they all went black.

Chat Noir furrowed his eyebrows. “That’s it?” he asked, knocking on the glass. “The show’s over?”

“We need to get out of here if we’re going to get the akuma!” Ladybug declared.

Suddenly, the screen lit back up, revealing the King Tut exhibit at the Louvre. “Welcome back!” Prime Queen cheered, sounding like the host of a game show. She opened the sarcophagus, revealing Alya tied up inside.

Alya struggled, but it was clear she wasn’t getting anywhere. “Ladybug, help!” she begged, but Prime Queen shut the sarcophagus before she could say more.

“Oh wait, isn’t that the girl who made the Ladyblog?” Prime Queen asked, feigning innocence. “The very first to have filmed Ladybug?”

Ladybug’s eyes went wide. “No, Alya!”

“Now, give me your miraculouses, or your biggest fan will end up mummified!” She let out a laugh that immediately unsettled Leda’s stomach.

Chat Noir lurched forward, and he saw that the screen he’d been leaning on had turned white, his hand passing through.

Leda looked from the screen, then to Chloé, and she rested her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “We’ll be back,” she promised. “Just stay here; you’ll be safe.”

Chloé nodded mutely, and Leda followed Ladybug and Chat Noir through the screen.

Instead of the museum, Leda fell through to an industrial refrigerator. “Uh oh.”

Ladybug yanked at the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge.

Suddenly, the screen lit up, revealing Prime Queen once again.

“Okay... cataclysm time?” Chat asked.

Ladybug growled in frustration. “Pointless- she probably locked us as far from the Louvre as possible! By the time we get there, it’ll be too late to save Alya!”

An idea hit Leda, and she stood up straight. “No need to save her if she does it herself,” she whispered under her breath. She plastered herself against the wall with the TV, keeping out of its view. She closed her eyes, trying to send a champion out to Alya. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Chat leaning in to kiss Ladybug. “Not! The time!” she yelled.

Ladybug nodded in agreement, unimpressed by Chat’s attempt. “Not happening, kitty.”

“It’s time to make the audience records boom!” Prime Queen declared. “I’m giving you a second chance. Take off your miraculouses and reveal your true identities! The whole world has its eyes on you.”

Suddenly, the sarcophagus burst open, and a literal mummy jumped out. It took to fighting Prime Queen, giving Ladybug the chance to call fro her lucky charm.

A tape dispenser landed in her hands. After a second, she started running around, checking all the bins for something else. “Got it!”

Leda missed what she pulled out, falling to her knees with a cry of pain. God, her ribs- what had- Alya. This was her pain. Chat went to her side, looking her over for injuries. “Leda, what is it?” he asked. “Leeds?”

Leda gasped for air and looked up at the screen. Prime Queen dropped a snapped pair of glasses, and a white butterfly flew out, turning Alya back to herself. Before she could do anything else, Ladybug taped an unfolded pizza box to the screen.

“What’s happening?” Prime Queen demanded.

“Alright! You won, Prime Queen,” Ladybug said, tossing the tape dispenser around in the air. “We’re taking off our miraculouses. The entire world will see us without our masks!”

“And Ladybug and I are ready to kiss!” Chat added.

“It’s really not your lucky day,” Ladybug finished.

After a moment, Prime Queen responded. “If you’re lying, I’ll make you pay!” She punched through the screen, and Ladybug grabbed her arm, jerking her into the fridge. Leda slammed her cane into the screen, trapping them all there.

Ladybug wrestled Prime Queen to the ground, and Chat broke the watch with his baton.

“Cataclysm!” Chat laid his hand on the door, making it dissolve into ash. “Ladies first!”

“Thank you, kitty!” Ladybug replied, walking out and catching the akuma.

Leda followed after, a small, forced smile on her face.

“You okay?” Chat asked. “I thought you were hurt.”

“It was just the severing,” Leda replied dismissively. “It kinda stung.”

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. “That didn’t look like ‘kinda stung,’ Leda. You were on the ground for a minute there.”

Leda shook her head. “I’m fine,” she insisted. “I’ve gotta go. Curfew and all.”

She took off running, making it back to her room right before Nooroo flew out of her brooch. Danielle groaned. “You okay?” she asked.

Nooroo nodded. “I’m fine, but a trip to Master Fu’s tomorrow wouldn’t hurt,” they replied. “What about you? I know that the severing hurts.”

“I’m fine,” Danielle said, repeating what she’d told Chat and Ladybug. “I’m gonna get ready for bed.” She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Then, she took in a deep breath and lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing a bluish-green mass over her ribs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUMMARY: While training together, Mireille reveals that she knows Danielle was raped, and that's why she got in the fight that resulted in her being sent to Paris. She suggests Danielle find someone to confide in, and later she reveals this to Adrien.
> 
> That night, she goes to do the interview with Nadja. The interview ends up going badly, with Nadja accusing Ladybug and Chat Noir of being in a relationship. The three heroes leave, and Nadja is akumatized into Prime Queen. Danielle makes Alya her champion, but Prime Queen injures her and severs the connection.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mention of past rape, past assault


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, muthafucka  
> No disguise, muthafucka  
> Empathize, muthafucka  
> Lots of lies, muthafucka  
> Surprise, muthafucka (reprise, muthafucka)

Danielle cringed as she scrolled through her news feed. Leda had become a meme thanks to that interview with Nadja, so instead of actual information, Danielle was met with gif after gif of herself, jaw falling to the floor or hands covering her mouth with things like ‘#shook’ and ‘when you catch mom and dad in the act’ written as captions. She moaned, putting her phone down and burying her head in her hands.

Nooroo giggled, gently poking Danielle’s shoulder. “It’ll blow over soon,” they promised. “You just gotta wait it out.”

“Thanks, Roo,” Danielle said with a sigh. “It’s just not really my thing- the spotlight, that is. I don’t like it when people notice me.”

“I understand,” Nooroo replied patiently. “Most of my caterpillars don’t, and you’ve got another layer of complexity on that.” Danielle opened her mouth to respond, but Nooroo cut in before she could. “And that’s okay. The important thing is that you’re able to step up when you’re needed, but that takes practice. Last night and the social media are that practice.”

Danielle nodded slowly. “Alright,” she relented. “Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”

She glanced up just in time to see Adrien running out of the building. “Dammit, Adrien,” she grumbled as Nooroo slipped back into her pocket. “I’m supposed to be keeping you out of trouble.” The Gorilla would kill her if he saw Adrien running off without her.

Danielle jumped off the bench where she’d been (not really) watching the fencing tryouts, waiting for them to be done so she could go get lunch. At a speed she didn’t know she possessed, she chased after Adrien, only catching up as he stopped to talk to a girl their age with short, blue-black hair.

“There's no such thing as a second chance in my family,” the girl said. “Goodbye.” She got in the waiting car, and it took off.

“Whoa,” Danielle mused, earning a dirty look from Adrien. “Heavy.”

Adrien grabbed Danielle’s wrist and jerked her into the Gorilla’s car, ignoring her cry of pain. “Follow that car!” he ordered pointing at the other girl’s vehicle.

Danielle snorted. “Stalker, much?” she asked as Adrien pulled out his phone. “Who is she, anyway?”

Adrien shot her a glare, then got right back to looking at his phone. “She tried out for the fencing team,” he explained. He opened a web page and skimmed through a collection of logos. Suddenly, he stopped. “Ha! She's the only daughter belonging to a family of prestigious fencers. Her mother and grandfather were both world champions. I've read about them before! She and her mother just moved to Paris! How incredible!”

“Could you be a little less obvious about your crush?”

Adrien didn’t get a chance to respond, as a sword came down and cut the car in half, sending both him and Danielle flying out of their seats. When they finally managed to get their wits about them, they saw a silver-plated akuma standing atop the remnants of the car.

“I'm taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!” the akuma declared.

Immediately, Adrien shook his head. “I-I can't fight you like this!” he insisted. “You're not... yourself.”

“Fight!” Riposte ordered. A purple butterfly outline appeared over her face, the tell-tale sign she was talking to Hawk Moth. “Understood, Hawk Moth.”

Adrien tried to escape, but Riposte jumped down and blocked him. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked. “Stay there. Nice and patiently.”

She lifted her sword to swing, but two things happened in quick succession. First, Danielle jumped in with Adrien’s saber, blocking the attack. Second, Ladybug’s yoyo wrapped around Adrien and pulled him to safety.

Danielle moved on instinct, fighting back against Riposte until she got a good kick in, putting some distance between the two. Ladybug jumped down between them, trying to prevent either of them from hurting the other. Danielle ran up behind Ladybug and put a hand on her shoulder. “Get my cousin out of here, please,” she begged. “I can handle her.”

Ladybug shook her head. “I’m not letting any civilians get involved; you should leave.”

“I can fight!” Danielle insisted. “I think the akuma’s in her ring; it’s got the same symbol Adrien showed me earlier. Just let me fight!”

“No!” Ladybug snapped, tackling Danielle just in time to save them both from another attack. “Just go!”

Danielle hesitated before she finally nodded, and she got up and ran away.

The second she had enough privacy, Nooroo flew out from her pocket. “That was very brave of you, Danielle,” they commended. “But you have to be careful. You could have been hurt!”

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “Nooroo, wings-” She caught herself, eyes going wide. “I left my bag in the courtyard. I won’t have any way of hiding my identity!” She sighed, then straightened her back and held her head up. “Looks like I’ll be doing this the old-fashioned way.”

Nooroo winced, clearly not liking Danielle’s line of thought. “You could just sit this one out- or do what you did with Despair Bear!”

Danielle shook her head. “No way,” she replied. “I know how to sword fight. I am the best person to stop Riposte. Now come on, I think I saw them headed towards the Louvre.”

* * *

When Danielle got there, she only saw Ladybug and Riposte. No Adrien. The second Riposte took a second to collect herself, Danielle ran up to Ladybug. “Where is he? Where’s Adrien?”

“He’s safe,” Ladybug replied. “What are you doing here? How did you get past the police?”

Danielle shrugged. “I ran,” she said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

Riposte lunged again, but Danielle raised her sword to block, then spun it in a move that would disarm an ordinary fencer. Instead, she found herself caught. “Uh oh.”

She braced herself for a hit, but it never came, stopped by Chat Noir’s staff. He kicked Riposte, sending her a good ten meters away.

“What are you doing?” he demanded as his feet hit the ground, and Danielle felt a spurt of pain in her ankle. His pain, she realized.

“I know how to use a sword,” Danielle insisted. “I can fight, and I’m good at it. Not to mention faster than someone with a sprained ankle.”

Chat faltered, eyebrows furrowing for a moment- a moment just long enough to give Riposte and opening.

Danielle moved without hesitation, blocking Riposte and drawing her away from the two heroes.

Ladybug growled in frustration. “Why does she keep getting involved?” she asked.

Chat Noir shook himself out of his stupor, a thought occurring to him. “She’s giving you an opening!” he realized. “Quick, call for your lucky charm!”

The revelation hit Ladybug, and she gave her partner a nod. “Lucky charm!”

A radiator fell into her hands.

Chat hummed. “Like this fight wasn’t heated enough already.”

Ladybug just rolled her eyes. “I need your belt. We’re going to rush her.”

Without hesitation, Chat removed his belt and started running towards Riposte with Ladybug by his side.

Somehow beyond their knowledge, Danielle caught on and dropped to the ground without having to be told or even looking at the superhero pair.

Ladybug caught Riposte’s sword in the radiator, and Chat hooked his belt around the sword guard. They both pulled back and yanked Riposte's sword to the side, snapping it and knocking her back. As predicted, the akuma flew out.

Ladybug went through her usual spiel, catching the akuma and releasing a white butterfly.

Riposte turned back to Kagami, clutching her head in pain. “What happened?” she asked.

“You were akumatized,” Danielle declared as she got up off the floor. “Don’t worry, it’s normal here. You’ll get used to the near-daily supervillains.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look, but before either of them could say anything, Ladybug’s earrings beeped. “Can you lecture Danielle and take care of Kagami?” she asked.

Chat nodded. “You go,” he insisted. “I’ll handle it.”

Danielle cringed as Ladybug ran off, feeling the frustration and fear radiating off the two heroes. She stood there while Chat calmed Kagami down, her only possible exit blocked by them.

After what felt like a century, Kagami left, and Chat walked up to her. “What you did was extremely dangerous,” he said firmly. “You could’ve been killed.”

“I don’t care,” Danielle replied defiantly. “That akuma was after my cousin, and there was no way in hell I was leaving his safety up to chance- or even you two.”

Chat pulled back, and Danielle was filled with surprise- his surprise. “You were really worried about him.”

“I still am; where is he?” She wanted to ask him why he was so shocked, but she knew doing so would be tantamount to revealing her own identity.

It took him a moment, but Chat finally said, “He’s safe. On his way back to the school.” He swallowed hard and glanced at the ground before looking back to Danielle. “Don’t get involved like that again. It’s not safe.”

“As long as no one goes after the people I love again,” she promised. “Now if I recall, you’re a school age student and lunch is almost over. We should both get going.”

Danielle walked past him, but she had no intention of going back to school just yet. Nooroo, despite not transforming, definitely deserved some soft pretzels after all that stress.

She made her way back to the mansion and slid in through an open window, taking care not to catch her jacket on the ledge. She let out a sigh of relief when she made it through unscathed, and she shut the window, only to turn around and come face to face with Gabriel.

“Um... I, uh... Uncle Gabe! Hi!” she greeted him, plastering a horrifically fake smile on her face. “I’m just here for lunch. Thought I’d get something to eat here- I just said that, didn’t I?”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “And you came through the window to do that?” he asked.

“Uh...” Danielle glanced back behind her. “I didn’t want to bother Nathalie to let me in.”

“You have your own key,” Gabriel reminded her. “Drop the act, Danielle. I know when your lunch time is. You ditched class- again. The school even called me about it. I’m having to take time out of my day to speak with Principal Damocles, and you’re going to come with me.”

Danielle’s shoulders dropped, and she hung her head. “It’s not what you think,” she insisted.

“Then what is it?” Gabriel demanded. “Your parents asked me to take care of you and fix your problem behavior, and that is what I’m going to do.”

“Fix my problem behavior?” Danielle snapped. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you!”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

Danielle scoffed. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know just what you’ve done, even if I don’t know why and I can’t prove it. But I will expose you for-”

Someone cleared their throat, and Danielle and Gabriel both turned to the door to see Nathalie standing there. “The car is ready,” she said. “And your meeting is in five minutes.”

“Yes, because we need a car to go half a block,” Danielle grumbled.

“Apparently we do if I want to ensure you actually get there,” Gabriel replied.

Danielle sighed and crossed her arms, shoulders hunched as she walked out to the car. The ride was silent and tense, neither she nor Gabriel uttering a word, even as they walked to Principal Damocles’s office. They settled down into a set of chairs across from him, and Ms. Bustier walked in shortly after, dropping Danielle’s bag in her lap and taking a stance next to Damocles.

The color drained from Danielle’s face. Did she look inside? If she did, she would have to know- right?

“Mr. Agreste, this is a very prestigious arts school, and we did you a big favor letting your niece in,” Principal Damocles began, cutting into Danielle’s thoughts. He looked to her. “There are hundreds of children in your position who would kill to be in your place; do you understand that?”

“Yes, sir,” Danielle replied quietly, sneaking glances at Ms. Bustier. She knew how to act when being read the riot act; there was no point in arguing right now.

“Even if this weren’t a private school, you still owe it to your teachers to be respectful and show up,” Ms. Bustier added. Nothing about the bag. Nothing about the costume. “You have been rude to me and Ms. Mendeleiev since day one, and I don’t think Mr. D'Argencourt has even met you before today! I hate to say it, but I’m starting to see why you were expelled from your last school.”

Danielle shot up out of her chair. “I wasn’t expelled from my last school for any of what you think I did,” she insisted. “I was expelled for something I was completely justified in doing, and-”

“I have tried to give you a second chance” Ms. Bustier cut in coolly. “But if you continue to skip classes, you will no longer be welcome in mine.”

Principal Damocles and Gabriel nodded in agreement, but Danielle’s attention was drawn to the window as a little black butterfly flew in through the window. Her jaw dropped, and she glanced back to Gabriel.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Ms. Bustier snapped. “Between this and the chaos you caused during the last akuma attack, I have had it up to here!”

“I am so sorry, Ms. Bustier, but you really need to calm down!” Danielle insisted, keeping an eye on the butterfly.

“Calm down?” Ms. Bustier demanded. “I will do no such thing and-”

The butterfly flew into her necklace chain, and Danielle smacked her hand on her forehead. “Fuck.”

Gabriel seemed to notice the akuma as it infected the necklace, and he stood and grabbed Danielle’s wrist. As the purple butterfly outline appeared over Ms. Bustier’s eyes, Gabriel tugged. “Time to go.”

Danielle nodded in agreement and spun around, grabbing her bag as she did and running out of the office with Gabriel, Principal Damocles not far behind. “In my defense, I tried to stop it!” she yelled.

Gabriel stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at Danielle. “This is not the time.”

The two ducked into the library, letting Principal Damocles run down the stairs- it wasn’t him the akuma was after, anyways.

Danielle glanced around, making sure no one else was there before she spoke. “How could you have sent that akuma if you’re here?” she whispered.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m Hawk Moth?” he asked. “Hawk Moth, who just earlier today akumatized someone who would turn my son into a target?”

“Well you’re not exactly winning Father of the Year regardless.” Before Gabriel could provide an outraged response, Danielle cut him off. “Don’t pretend you don’t realize it. You hardly speak to him; you regularly cancel dinner appointments with him- hell, you call dinner with your son an ‘appointment.’”

“There you are!”

“Shit.”

Danielle turned, coming face to face with Ms. Bustier, but her skin was neon blue and her suit had turned black with white punctuation marks all over it like some kind of Ms. Frizzle reject. She let out a nervous laugh. “Hey, Ms. Bustier. Look, I know I’ve been having some attendance issues lately, but I won’t be any more.”

“Believe me, you won’t,” she growled back. “I am School Daze, and I will keep students in class, like they’re supposed to be.”

Suddenly, Danielle found herself in the classroom, sitting in her usual spot. “Whoa,” she muttered. “Trippy.” She tried to get up, only to find herself glued to the spot. “Oh no.”

“We’re all stuck,” Ivan told her. “Do you know what happened?”

Danielle whimpered and let her head fall back. “I got caught ditching, and Ms. Bustier got akumatized over it.”

Instantly, her classmates got riled up, yelling at her and demanding a solution. A whistle cut through the air, and everyone turned to the source: Marinette.

“This isn’t her fault!” she snapped. “When Hawk Moth wants to akumatize someone, someone is going to get akumatized. Danielle isn’t the one sending out akumas; Hawk Moth is. I’m sure Chat Noir and Leda will show up any minute to free us.”

“What about Ladybug?” Alya asked.

Marinette winced. “I’m sure she’ll show, too. But for right now, we need to work together to find a way out of here.”

Danielle took a deep breath, a million things running through her head. She looked at Nathanael sitting next to her, then turned her head to the other side and whispered, “Nooroo, wings rise.”

Her sword clattered to the floor, but no one paid the sound any mind. For once, she was thankful her appearance didn’t change with the transformation.

She closed her eyes and sent out her empathic abilities, searching for the right emotions.

There. Righteous indignation. Fear for his family. Before she could start a speech to convince him, he spoke to her.

_Danielle, you are going to be in so much trouble if we make it out of this._

“Oh my god,” Danielle whispered. “Uncle Gabe?”

_If you call me ‘uncle,’ your identity is going to be discovered very quickly._

“Well sor-ry, Family Man,” she grumbled. “Adrien and I are trapped in the classroom.”

_Alright, School Daze isn’t after me because I’m an adult, so it shouldn’t be hard to sneak in. What room?_

“You don’t know what classroom your son is in?” Danielle hissed. “It’s 248. God...”

Five agonizing minutes passed before the door broke down and Family Man walked in, armed with a blaster canon for a right hand. Otherwise, he looked like a soldier with thermometers, baby bottles, and diapers on his utility belt instead of weapons.

Danielle snorted, covering her mouth in an attempt to muffle it. Fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, now a fashion disaster thanks to her.

“Close your eyes; this might be bright,” he ordered, and Danielle did as told. Sure enough, there was a bright enough light that she could even see it with her eyes closed. When it faded, though, she could stand up again.

“Everyone move, quickly and quietly!” Family Man ordered. “School Daze is at the other side of the school, but I don’t know how long that will last.”

Adrien slowly got up, the truth dawning on him. “Father?” he asked. “Leda picked you?”

Family Man winced but nodded. “It’s come to my attention that I haven’t been as good of a father as I could be,” he confessed. “Once this is settled, I’d like to change that. But for now, go.”

Adrien nodded and took off with the rest of the class, leaving Family Man and Danielle alone in the room.

“Go from room to room,” Danielle told him. “Get as many kids out as possible; I need to go grab my bag from Principal Damocles’s office.”

Family Man left the room, and Danielle grabbed her sword and followed, but they diverged at the hallway. Danielle walked into Damocles’s office and swapped her jacket out for her cardigan. She slid her mask onto her face then abandoned her bag to head back out.

Sure enough, when she got out, Ladybug and Chat Noir were already fighting School Daze in the courtyard while Family Man went from classroom to classroom, sneaking students out. Leda jumped over the railing and rolled as she landed, popping back up a bit behind Ladybug and Chat.

“Hey there,” she said, drawing School Daze’s attention to her. “Am I late?”

* * *

When all was said and done and Family Man went back to being Gabriel, he surprised both Danielle and Adrien by pulling them out of class for the rest of the day.

“Uh... Father, are you okay?” Adrien asked as he got in the car. He glanced at Danielle, but she said nothing and refused to meet his gaze. “Are you having side effects from being Leda’s champion?”

“I’m fine, Adrien,” he replied, back straight and tone formal. He caught his own rigidness and explained, “You two being in danger, being Leda’s champion... She made me realize I haven’t exactly been a ‘family man,’ so to speak. After Adele went missing, I thought it would be easier to close myself off and that everything would go back to normal when we found her.”

Adrien looked down at his hands in his lap, the subject sore for both of them.

Undeterred, Gabriel continued. “I haven’t been a very good father, and I want to change that. It will take some time, and I’ll definitely make mistakes, but I want us to be a family again. A real family. Can you give me another chance?”

A smile spread across Adrien’s face, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed without hesitation. “That sounds really nice.”

Gabriel sighed, a heavy weight taken off his shoulders. “Thank you, Adrien. I don’t know what I did to deserve a son as kind as you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are my lifeblood!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you try your best, but everything goes to shit anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning in this chapter for attempted rape, but again, nothing graphic.

This was becoming a habit, Danielle thought as she mindlessly scrolled through her news feed. There she was, on her phone, waiting for Adrien to finish what he was doing. This time, it was a photo shoot and, to both their surprise, Gabriel came along. Sure, he’d promised to be more involved, but neither of them expected him to follow through!

“C’mon, Father, we haven’t had a real photo together since Mom went missing,” Adrien whined. “They’ve got enough shots for the promotionals; let’s have some fun!”

Danielle glanced up and smiled when Gabriel sighed and joined his son. He kept his head high and his back straight- there was a reason he didn’t model his own designs.

Adrien snorted. “Oh my god, Model 101: you gotta relax,” he ordered. “You look like you’re at a press conference.”

“Well it is what I’m accustomed to,” Gabriel drawled.

Danielle shook her head and turned back to her phone, thinking about how crazy the past two weeks had been. Just on Tuesday, there had been another akuma- this time a robot of all things. Max had made one hell of a champion, but boy was it close.

And then there was the fact that Uncle Gabe wasn’t Hawk Moth, even though he had the brooch when she’d first arrived. He still hadn’t explained that to her, and she was a little hesitant to ask.

“Boo!”

“Ah!” Danielle screamed and fell off her perch, landing on the ground below the short wall. She looked up to see Adrien standing over her. “What the hell?”

“You were in lala land,” Adrien explained. “I’ve been trying to get your attention. We want photos with you, too.”

Danielle tilted her head and grimaced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Please?” Adrien sang, batting his eyelashes.

“Oh my god.” Danielle waved him off and slid her phone into her pocket. “Stop with the eyes and the puppy face; I’ll do it!” Adrien grabbed her hand, and she let him pull her over to the set. “You’re the worst.”

“But you love me anyway.”

Adrien struck a pose, and Danielle raised an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

The photographer snorted. “Oh, let’s-a try for a smile this time,” he said through his snickering.

Danielle smiled and wrapped her arm around Adrien, leaning her head on his shoulder. Gabriel stood behind them, a hand on each of their shoulders.

They got in another few shots, both silly and smiling before Gabriel declared that they were done for the day.

Danielle couldn’t help but grin as she walked to the car. “I haven’t laughed that much in a while,” she confessed.

“Alright, time to go back to the house,” Gabriel declared. “If I recall correctly, you both have homework.”

Both teens grimaced. “The one thing I don’t want him taking an interest in,” Adrien muttered, earning a snort from Danielle.

The trio headed up the stairs toward the street in comfortable silence until they approached the Gorilla. Adrien looked up and gasped, causing Danielle and Gabriel to do the same. In the sky, a little, black butterfly approached. She and Adrien took off running towards the Gorilla, but to their shock, it flew over his shoulder.

Adrien let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. Danielle peeked out around him and saw the butterfly stop at a baby carriage.

“This is not happening,” Danielle muttered. The sudden, stabbing pain in her head told her otherwise. “Is this happening? This can’t be happening.” She held back a whimper, leaning forward and putting a hand on her head.

The Gorilla cast a confused look her way, and she pointed at the baby just as black-and-purple bubbles surrounded it, making it grow to the size of a building.

“LOLLIE!” the baby yelled.

The Gorilla put his arms out to block the Agrestes, and Gabriel put himself between Danielle and Adrien. He shot the former a knowing look, and Danielle ran off. When he looked to Adrien, he was gone, too.

Danielle hid behind a column, and Nooroo flew out of her pocket. “This is not happening...” She sighed. “Nooroo, wings rise!” She flipped her backpack around in front of her, pulling out her mask and cardigan. In under a minute, Leda stood where Danielle once had. Next on her list: find a champion. On a pleasant Saturday, it wasn’t that hard to find someone out and about.

“Hi, you’re the candy vendor, right?” she asked once she had her target.

_Oh hell no, I’m not getting involved in this!_

Leda’s jaw dropped. Never before had someone refused her request. “Ah- I- please?”

_No! I am safe where I am, and I am not going out to do what you, Ladybug, and Chat Noir do._

“But the kid just wants a lollipop!” Leda insisted. “I’d just turn you into a giant, and you could make some giant candy! You wouldn’t even have to fight!”

There was a pause, then Leda collapsed to the ground, her head pounding. “Oh God,” she moaned. “What was that?”

When she didn’t get a response, she realized. The vendor had torn the apron she’d put her champion in. And she didn’t get a second chance. “Oh... uh oh.” She moaned, leaning over and lying on the ground, her eyes falling closed.

* * *

“Leda! Leda!”

Leda woke up with a gasp, eyes meeting Gabriel’s. “What happened?” she asked.

“Don’t worry, no one’s seen you,” Gabriel assured her. He glanced around to make sure that was still true, then yanked off Danielle’s mask. “Nooroo found me and said you’d passed out. We need to get you in the car before anyone asks why you look so weak even though the akuma’s been purified.”

“The akuma’s been purified?” Danielle looked around as she shrugged off her cardigan. “When did that happen? How long have I been out?”

Gabriel shook his head. “That’s not important,” he declared. “Come on, up.”

With Gabriel’s help, Danielle got to her feet and put her jacket back on. They made it to the car, passing by Adrien as he talked to Marinette.

“What’s the deal between those two?” Gabriel asked quietly.

Danielle just shook her head. “Hell if I know.”

* * *

A few days later, Leda found herself sitting on the roof, waiting for patrol to begin and contemplating her life.

“So how does it feel going into week three with your powers?” Chat Noir asked as he landed next to Leda.

Leda jerked her head up, surprised at Chat Noir’s arrival. “Hey,” she greeted him. “Uh... I guess I’m feeling okay. Kind of... weird, still, but I think that’s more cause Nooroo’s been split.” She hummed and shook her head. “I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks. I feel like I’ve been at this for a lifetime.”

Chat Noir nodded, trying his best to understand the situation. “These things start to become normal pretty fast,” he assured her. “Just give it some time, and you’ll get used to it.”

“I guess,” Leda replied. “It’s just... I know the girl the akuma was after today- Marinette. She’s- we don’t really talk, but she seems sweet. It’s hard to imagine why someone would be after her.”

Chat cringed. “Uh... look, you can’t repeat that to Ladybug,” he declared. “We can’t say anything that might reveal our identities, even to each other. If you haven’t met someone in the suit, you haven’t met them. I even have a chart at home that says who out of my classmates I’ve met as Chat.”

Leda gave a curt nod in response. “Got it,” she replied. “But my point still stands. I don’t understand the reasoning for the attack.”

“Well,” Chat sighed, “I guess we’ll never know; and if you do find out, don’t tell me.” He clapped a hand on Leda’s shoulder and smiled.

“I’m sorry, are you two having a moment?”

Chat and Leda turned to see Ladybug crouched on the roof, a playful grin on her face. Chat put a hand over his heart and leaned back. “Oh Bugaboo, how could you think I’d betray my love for you?” he teased. “Leeds and I were just talking about some ground rules we didn’t clear her on earlier. Mentor-mentee stuff.”

“Is ‘mentee’ even a word?” Leda asked. “It doesn’t sound like a word.”

“It’s a word; I got it wrong on a spelling test when I was ten,” Ladybug confirmed. “Leda, I was thinking I’d take you tonight and Chat can go on solo patrol.”

“You just want a chance to talk about how handsome I am with another girl.”

Both Leda and Ladybug gave him a light swat to either arm. Then, as if the interaction had never occurred, Leda turned to Ladybug. “That sounds great. I was actually wanting to show you a trick I’ve been working on.” As she spoke, one of her butterflies came up and landed on her shoulder, followed by another that seemed content to just float near her head.

“Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you.”

Chat raised an eyebrow and glanced to Ladybug, then back to Leda. “We’re not concerned about your butterflies,” he declared. “As long as they’re white and with you, I don’t see a problem.”

Leda blinked a couple of times, seemingly stunned by Chat’s comment. Then, it hit her. “Oh, I wasn’t talking to you,” she explained. “The butterflies- they’re the ones who are nervous. Purifying without Hawk Moth’s or my intending is scary for them. Think about it: they’re just doing their job, and suddenly some chick traps them in a yoyo that affects their magic. It’s weird.”

“Huh.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look, the sudden realization hitting them unexpectedly.

“And there’s another thing I need to tell you,” Leda added. “I was rejected today. I tried to make someone a champion, and he took the thing I sent my butterfly to and tore it up. And it hurt like hell.”

Chat Noir nodded in understanding. “That’s why you weren’t there. It’s alright, though, we got everything all tied up.”

Leda sighed and shook her head. “That’s not all, though. If it hurt me, imagine what it does to Hawk Moth when his connection is severed. I was wrong about who I first thought he was, but whoever he is, he’s gonna have to take recovery time after we stop each of his akumas. I mean, it’s not much, but it’s another hint we didn’t have before.”

“She’s right,” Ladybug agreed. “If we see anyone in pain shortly after the attacks, it could be him.”

Leda nodded in agreement. “It’s mostly my head, so look for someone acting sensitive to light and sound.” There was a brief pause, none of them having anything else to add. “So you ready for patrol?”

* * *

“What am I doing?” Leda asked an hour and a half later as she knocked on a sliding glass door. This was a horrible idea, she was probably asleep, she-

Answered the door.

Chloé pulled back the curtain, smiling when she saw Leda. She unlocked the door and opened it, leaning on the frame. “Hey,” she said softly. “What’re you doing here?”

“Ah, um, I was- was just in the neighborhood after patrol,” she explained. “I thought I’d come see how you were doing.”

“Really?” Chloé asked. “That’s... really sweet of you. Most people don’t really check in on me. Even if I’ve been sick from school for a few days or something.”

Leda shrugged. “Well, you aren’t exactly the nicest person.” The second after it left her lips, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “I can’t believe I just said that, I am so sorry.”

Chloé let out a breathy laugh. “Well, it was a little blunt, but you’re not wrong,” she agreed. She glanced up and realized she was still inside while Leda was out. “Why don’t you come in? Have some tea? I just got a pot steeping.”

“Sure,” Leda agreed, walking into the over-sized room. When Chloé turned, Leda watched her back as she walked over to the counter. “So why are you mean to other people? Like I get that it’s about your money, but what made you think this way? And why not to me?”

Chloé glanced over her shoulder briefly as she got out another cup and poured the tea. “When I was five, my mom left me and my dad. There was a clause in my parents’ prenup that said if they had a kid, my mom would only be able to get X amount of money, and the rest would go to me. The amount of money grew each year, and it capped on my fifth birthday. She divorced my dad, took the money she got, and married another rich guy. I haven’t spoken to her since, much less seen her.”

Leda stared, eyes filled with pity. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I can’t believe you had to go through that; how can one person be so selfish?”

Chloé sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Dad married another woman who tried the same shit. After that, it was pretty obvious that anyone will try to use us to get our money. Since you’re a superhero and do all this stuff for free and haven’t even told me who you really are, you obviously aren’t. You’re different.”

Without hesitation, Leda walked up to Chloé, intending to wrap her in a hug. Unfortunately, Chloé turned around with the tea at the same time, getting the hot liquid all over both of them.

The two yelped and jerked back, the cups falling to the floor. “Oh my God I am so sorry,” Leda said. “I was trying to hug you, and I just messed up, and then-”

“It’s fine,” Chloé replied with a laugh. “Um...” Another nervous laugh escaped her. “Sorry, it’s really hard to think with the burning.” Without hesitation, she peeled off her cardigan and shirt and began fanning her stomach. “Oh my God, how are you not freaking out right now?”

Leda winced. “The magic makes me a little more durable,” she explained, her eyes fixed on Chloé’s stomach. “That and I have to protect my secret abs- identity! Secret identity.”

Chloé looked up, her cheeks turning red. “Uh... thanks for coming by, Leda. It feels really good to have gotten that out. And the shirt off, but that’s kind of unrelated.” Leda snorted. “Uh... maybe you can come by more often?”

“I’d like that,” Leda agreed with a nod. “But, uh, for now, you should probably take a shower. Or a bath or whatever gets you off- the tea! The tea off!”

“Yeah,” Chloé said, her cheeks bright red. “I’ll see you around?”

“See you around.”

* * *

Leda took off out the sliding door and through Paris, deciding she needed some time out before she headed back to the mansion. She made it to the second arrondissement before deciding to rest, sitting down on top of a building. She sighed, looking at the Eiffel Tower far off in the distance.

A shrill whistle echoed through the air before being cut off.

Leda’s blood ran cold, and she looked down at the alley nearest her to see a man in a ski mask with a knife in his hand, the blade dangerously close to a woman’s throat. His other hand was wrapped in the brunette’s ponytail, keeping her under his control.

Without thinking, Leda jumped off the building. Startled by the sound of her landing, the man let the woman go and spun around, knife in front of him.

“Aw shit.”

Leda scoffed and tilted her head to the side a bit. “Oh you have no idea,” she growled. She grabbed the man’s wrist and bent it backwards, forcing him to drop the knife. Using the grip she had on him, Leda threw the would-be rapist across the alley and out into the street.

The man scrambled to get up, but Leda was faster, ripping his mask off, grabbing him by the hair, and slamming his head into the street.

“How does it feel!?” Leda snapped. “Being powerless? At the mercy of someone else?” She slammed his head into the ground again, then switched to punching him over and over again.

“Well!?” she demanded. “Do you feel strong now!? Huh!?”

She pulled out her cane and held it to the man’s throat, cutting off his air supply. “This is for every woman you have ever touched without consent,” she growled. She pulled the sword out of the cane, but before she could use it, something hit her hand and forced her to drop her weapon.

Someone else grabbed her arms, pulling her up off the man, but she still managed to get a good kick in at his stomach before turning around to face her new opponent.

She froze when she saw who it was.

“Chat, why did you stop me?” she demanded. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that yes, it had been Ladybug who knocked the sword out of her hand with her yoyo. “That creep was going to ra- to _hurt_ an innocent woman!”

“And he’ll be arrested,” Chat promised, “but you can’t just beat him to death.”

Leda jerked out of his grasp. “And why not?” she asked. “People like him are the scum of the Earth, and you would have let him get away with it!”

“What?”

Chat turned to the brunette woman who would have been the man’s victim, then back to Leda. “I wouldn’t have let him get away with it,” he promised. “But there’s a procedure we have to follow. We’re heroes, not vigilantes.”

Leda scoffed and walked over to stand beside the woman. “Follow procedure, huh?” she asked. “Just say it: you would’ve let it happen! Just like everyone else in the goddamn system!”

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir tried to object, but Leda didn’t listen. Instead, she focused on a butterfly as it flew to her hand. She waved her other hand over it, and it turned black. She held it out to the brunette woman. It flew into the whistle around her neck.

“They would’ve let that bastard get away with it,” Leda snarled. “They’re no heroes; they’re just as bad as him!” She pointed at the man lying half-conscious in the street.

The brunette woman looked from Leda to Ladybug and Chat Noir, both frozen in shock and confusion. Her eyes darkened.

Dark purple bubbles washed over the woman, leaving her in a white Grecian dress, a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. She pulled an arrow out and set it up. “I am Artemis, defender of women,” she said coldly. “You’ll never hurt one again.”

She let loose the arrow, and Ladybug and Chat Noir dived out of the way.

As Ladybug whipped her yoyo around, defending herself from arrows, Chat and Leda both glanced to Leda’s discarded sword. They looked back to each other, then took off running towards it. They crashed to the ground, both trying desperately to grab the weapon that was just out of reach.

Leda elbowed Chat in the nose and jumped up, grabbing the sword with her other hand. She turned, holding it out in front of her. Slowly, she walked back over to Artemis while Chat made his way to Ladybug.

Then, they all stood perfectly still, waiting for the other to attack.

“You two are content to just live in your little bubble where akumas are the only bad things happening in Paris, but not everyone has that luxury!” Leda finally snapped, taking a couple of steps forward. “The victims have to live with fear and anger and sorrow every day of their lives. Well I feel it! I feel all of it! The self-loathing and questions of ‘why me?’ and ‘what did I do wrong?’ and never having an answer because there isn’t one!

“People get hurt, and we’re letting it happen! We’re supposed to be protectors, but we’re letting down the people who need us most. The lucky charm can’t bring back the dead, and cataclysm can’t destroy the memories of the survivors. They are there, and they are hurting, and that is a pain you will never understand!”

Ladybug’s shoulders dropped as she listened to Leda’s rant, her yoyo falling to her side. “Her empathic powers,” she whispered. “That’s what this is.”

Chat Noir shook his head. “No,” he replied solemnly as realization hit him. “It’s not.” He took a breath and stepped forward. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, Leda. And I know you’re angry. You deserve to be. My-my cousin... it happened to her, and she beat the guy to a pulp. And when she told me, I wished I could turn back time and make sure none of it ever happened, but I couldn’t, and I can’t. What happened to you was horrible, but you can’t hurt civilians for it. You can stop them, you can turn them over to the police, but it is not our job to seek vengeance. We protect. Like you protected that woman. You just took it too far, and I don’t blame you.”

All the while, Chat moved closer and closer until he was just a foot in front of Leda. “What happened to you is not your fault, and the douche bag who hurt you deserves to rot in hell, but beating up other people isn’t going to heal you. I wish I could fix you, or that Ladybug’s lucky charm could fix you, but we can’t.

“You need. Help. Someone who can help you work through this, through your anger and your pain and your fear. And I wish I could be that person, but I can’t. And no amount of saving other women or beating up would-be rapists is going to help you either.”

Leda sniffed, eyes filled with tears, and she waved her hand out to the side. A black butterfly flew out of the akuma’s whistle and turned white, and Leda dropped her sword. She bridged the gap between herself and Chat Noir, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing.

Chat felt Leda’s legs give out, but he held on and carefully lowered her down to the ground so they were both sitting, crying together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update; work kind of overwhelmed me. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A hero's regression often begins with a trauma- one that is in some manner a result of their actions, an unintended consequence of their newfound abilities. The death of a loved one, an uncovered truth, or a dream that, once realized, reveals itself as a nightmare. That trauma shocks our hero, and ushers in those same fears and insecurities that held them back before the journey began. But these fears and insecurities that haunt them, they are now amplified. And our hero, now more powerful, can use that power to tear their own life apart.
> 
> When everything is taken away what's left?"
> 
> Cloak and Dagger, Episode 1.09: Back Breaker

Chloé woke to the sound of tapping on her balcony door. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and squinted at the glass. Outside, she saw none other than Leda. She jumped to her feet and hurried over, opening the door. “Hey, what’re you-”

Chloé was cut off when the hero hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder. Confused and stunned, she slowly lifted her hand to pet Leda’s hair, reminiscent of what her father used to do. “Hey, hey,” she cooed. “It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be alright. What’s the matter?”

“I-I made such a big mistake,” Leda choked out with a hiccup. “I was so angry and bitter that I took it out on someone else and I made an akuma and I attacked LB and Chat and... I fucked up, Chlo.”

Hesitantly, Chloé rubbed Leda’s back. “It’s alright...” Chloé was fairly certain it wasn’t, but even she wasn’t enough of an asshole to say that. “Why don’t I get you some water and you can calm down some?”

Leda nodded quickly, pulling away from Chloé and rubbing her eyes through her mask.

As Chloé turned away, there was a wooshing sound, followed by a small voice saying, “Can you get some pretzels too, please?”

Chloé spun around to see a small purple creature floating next to Leda. She blinked a couple of times, almost asking Leda what it was, but thought better of it. Now was the time to go with the flow; she could ask questions later. So she nodded mutely before heading towards the mini kitchen in her room. She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and a standard hotel room bag of pretzels out of the cupboard before returning to Leda and the purple creature.

Her eyes must have lingered, because the creature spoke up again. “My name is Nooroo. I’m a kwami, and I allow Leda to use her powers. Once we beat Hawk Moth and get the brooch back, she’ll be able to transform as well.”

“Is that true, Leda?” Chloé turned to Leda, who just nodded silently. With a heavy sigh, Chloé opened the bag of pretzels and handed them to Nooroo before going back to Leda, guiding her to sit down on her bed. Chloé rubbed her shoulder and offered the water bottle. “You want to talk about what happened?”

“Not now,” Leda hiccuped. She opened the bottle, hands shaking, and took a sip. She took a few breaths, slowly evening out.

Then the dam broke. Leda sobbed, covering her mouth with one hand and leaning into Chloé.

“It’s okay,” Chloé whispered. “Just let it out.”

The two sat like that for nearly an hour before Chloé heard Leda’s breath even out again. She looked down, seeing that Leda’s eyes were closed. She looked back up to Nooroo. “Any idea how to move her without waking her up?”

Nooroo shook their head. “Sorry. I should have warned you about that. Making akumas weakens her.”

“It’s fine,” Chloé replied. “She, uh... she looks really pretty when she’s asleep. I just wish I knew what to do.”

“You’re already doing it,” Nooroo assured her. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but Leda was raped about a year ago. She caught someone trying to rape a woman tonight, and she beat him to a pulp. Ladybug and Chat Noir stopped her before she could kill him, and she lost it. She turned the would-be victim into an akuma and fought her teammates before Chat could calm her down.”

Chloé listened attentively, a frown on her face. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “Poor Leda. No one should have to go through that.”

“I don’t think she ever really handled it,” Nooroo added. “She’s still hurting.”

“That’s something that hurts forever,” Chloé declared. “But you’re right; if she made an akuma, she isn’t dealing.” She ran a finger along Leda’s cheek. Slowly, she leaned in and placed a kiss to her temple.

Chloé adjusted her arms so she could pick up Leda, and she carefully moved her to the center of the bed. She unmade it and tucked Leda in before she laid down atop the sheets on the other side. She watched her companion for a minute before closing her eyes, deciding it was best if she got some sleep, too.

* * *

Danielle woke up to the sun in her eyes and a pounding headache. She moaned in pain, only for Nooroo to fly up and put their paws over her mouth.

“Shh!” they hissed. “Your mask is around your neck.”

Danielle looked down, eyebrows furrowed, and pulled her mask back up over her eyes. “Where am-” Reality came rushing back to her, and she let out a tired sigh. “Shit.” She turned over, seeing Chloé on the bed next to her atop the covers. “She never tried to figure out who I was?”

“Never,” Nooroo confirmed. “But someone’s probably gonna be by to check on her soon. We should go.”

“Right,” Leda whispered. “Nooroo, wings rise.”

Nooroo zipped into Leda’s brooch, and she gently shook Chloé’s shoulder.

Chloé gasped, confused at the sudden wakefulness. Her head darted around, finally landing on Leda. “Oh, hey. Are, uh, how are you?”

Leda gave her a strained smile. “Not great, but better than I was last night.” She reached out, brushing a strand of Chloé’s hair behind her ear. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah,” Chloé agreed. “Take some time for yourself today, yeah? You deserve it.”

A small laugh bubbled past Leda’s lips. “I will.” With that, she turned and snuck out the side door.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Danielle laid in bed, staring at her phone. She’d changed into her pajamas, skin ashen pale. She scrolled through her news feed, looking at the articles about Leda.

“You’re going to make yourself sick,” Nooroo claimed, landing on a spare pillow next to Danielle’s head.

“I think it’s a little too late for that,” she replied. “Here’s hoping no one gets akumatized because of my absences again.”

Nooroo sighed and shook their head. “Now you’re just dumping on yourself.

Danielle sighed and dropped her head back on her pillow. “Don’t I deserve it, though?” she asked. “I did something bad, even if it was to a bad person. And that says nothing of the woman I akumatized- you yourself said it leaves a negative magical imprint on them!”

“I’m fairly certain that woman would have had a negative imprint on her no matter what happened last night,” Nooroo commented. “Just, please, take some time to rest and recover. You need it.”

Danielle took a deep breath and let it out, looking to Nooroo. “No,” she suddenly declared shortly. “What I need to do is get the hell out of here.”

Nooroo’s jaw dropped. “What?” they asked. “Danielle, what are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry, Roo, but you’re on your own.”

Before Nooroo could reply, Danielle took off the brooch and shoved it into the drawer of her bedside table. She got out of bed and grabbed her backpack, dumping out her school supplies before walking over to the dresser and shoving what clothes she could fit into her bag.

* * *

Adrien looked around the dining room, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Where’s Danielle?” he asked.

Gabriel froze, cup of coffee to his lips. After a second, he put it down and cleared his throat. “She’s feeling a little under the weather,” he explained. “I... figured out what happened to her, and I understand that she’s taking Leda’s attack very hard. I’ve decided not to wake her.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but-”

“It’s alright,” Gabriel assured him. “You have nothing to apologize for. Danielle asked you not to tell me, and you respected her wish. I’m sure she’ll be back in school tomorrow.”

Adrien grew silent and nodded, getting back to his breakfast.

When he walked into the classroom later that morning, he was met by the sound of Alya giving Marinette a full report of last night’s events and the fallout.

“Viols-Femmes-Informations and the Institut National d’Aide aux Victimes et de Médiation are already using Leda as somewhat of a mascot,” she said, scrolling through her web feed. “And the Ladyblog’s blowing up with comments from victims who have decided to go to the police. They’ve even had to open another line to keep up with all the calls coming in.”

“Good,” Marinette replied quietly, her gaze fixed on her hands. When Alya touched her shoulder, she jumped.

“It shook you, didn’t it?”

Marinette took in a wobbly breath and nodded her head. “I... there’s this girl, she comes into the bakery pretty often; we barely know each other, but she tried to tell me, and I didn’t listen. At least, not as well as I should have. I completely missed what she was saying, and that hurt her. And now I don’t know how to help her.”

Alya pursed her lips and stared at Marinette for a moment, trying to come up with a simple answer to a complicated problem. “Let her know you’re there for her,” she finally said. “And don’t try to imply it or skirt around it. Tell her.”

Marinette nodded. “I will.”

Adrien bit the inside of his cheek, considering Alya’s words. It sounded like he needed to say something to a certain friend, too.

* * *

When Danielle finally managed to sneak out of the mansion and into a coffee shop for lunch before leaving, Mireille was already there. Typical. Danielle sighed and bought her sandwich before sitting down across from her.

“You messed up,” Mireille declared dryly. She glanced at Danielle’s stuffed bag. “And you’re running.”

“I know,” Danielle replied. She took a sip of her tea and sat back in her seat. “Are you here to lecture me?” She picked up her sandwich and took a bite, intentionally chewing with her mouth open.

Mireille rolled her eyes. “Only if you keep eating like that,” she said. “I know you’re bitter and in pain, but you still have a job to do. And I’m not just saying that as your teacher or as a victim of one of Hawkmoth’s akumas. I’m saying that as your friend. I know you will hate yourself if you don’t see this through.”

Danielle picked at her sandwich, putting another tiny bite in her mouth. This time, at least, she chewed with her mouth closed.

“I heard Chat Noir’s little speech to you, and he’s right,” Mireille continued. “I can’t fix you, but I can at least try to hold your hand while you get your shit together- key word being try. If you give me the silent treatment and act like we’re strangers or run away, there’s nothing I can do.”

Danielle swallowed before responding. “You never seemed that interested in being friends before.”

“That’s because I can separate when you need a teacher and when you need a friend,” Mireille replied. “Right now, you need a friend, but you can’t shut me out.”

There was a moment of silence as Danielle tried to sort out her thoughts. Finally she let out a sigh. “Thank you, Mireille,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry. You’re right about me being bitter and hurting, but I don’t know how to stop it.”

Mireille reached across the table and took Danielle’s hand in her own. “I’d start by talking. Places all over the city are offering free counseling right now. No one would know.”

“I guess,” Danielle replied. “I just...”

“The stigma,” Mireille supplied. “But if you don’t get help, you’ll always hurt. If you want, I can go with you.”

Danielle nodded. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I’d like that.”

“And talk to your team. They’re bound to be worried.”

“I shouldn’t be the butterfly miraculous holder,” Danielle said. “I completely lost it last night, and it’s not like I was chosen anyway. They’d be better off without me.”

Mireille just shook her head. “It takes a special kind of person to hold the butterfly miraculous- angry but loving. My grandfather said that the last one he met was named Adelaide, during the first world war. She was ruthless, and god help the fool who hurt her champions. You look like you came right out of his stories about her.”

Danielle smiled softly, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“I’d even bet you’re powerful enough to send out multiple champions at once and call them back at will.”

That earned her a scoff. “Yeah right,” she replied.

Mireille quirked her eyebrow and tore off a piece of Danielle’s sandwich. “We’ll see,” she said. “Until then, I’d suggest talking to your team.” When Danielle opened her mouth to respond, Mireille cut her off. “And no, I’m not letting this go until you do it.”

“Damn.”

“So you’ll stay?”

Danielle sighed, taking a moment to think before she nodded her head. “Yeah. I’ll stay.”

* * *

Instead of leaving for Antalya, Danielle circled back to the mansion and snuck into her room without detection. She walked over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, taking out the butterfly brooch again and pinning it to her shirt.

Nooroo flew out, smiling faintly when they saw Danielle. “You’re still here.”

“Roo, I am so sorry,” Danielle told them. “I shouldn’t have left, and I shouldn’t have abandoned you. I’m just scared and I feel like I’m right back where I started-”

“And you thought it would be easier to go through with your original plan.”

Danielle nodded mutely.

“I promise you, everything will turn out okay for you.” Nooroo floated over to the bed and patted it, urging Danielle to sit down. Reluctantly, she dropped her backpack and did. “You are not my first caterpillar to face trauma before meeting me, and you probably won’t be the last. But you are one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and your capacity for good is astonishing. I’ve seen holders tear themselves apart because they can’t handle their empathic powers, but you took it all like a pro. You’re strong, and you bounce back, and with the right care, you’ll recover from this, too. A butterfly’s specialty is in transformation. Transform yourself.”

Tears filled Danielle’s eyes, and she reached out to pet Nooroo’s head. “Thank you,” she choked out. “I will.”

Nooroo nodded. “I know you will.”

* * *

For some reason, Ladybug was both surprised and not when Leda approached her and Chat Noir at the Eiffel Tower. Did it make sense? No. It just was.

“Hi there,” Leda greeted them nervously. She tilted her body to one side, and Ladybug realized she was holding a picnic basket. Leda held it out. “A peace offering,” she explained. “My dad would make these fillo shells filled with hot brie when I was little, but for whatever reason there was a ton of camembert in the fridge so I replaced the brie with that.”

“Thank you,” Ladybug replied quietly. “I think we have enough time for a snack before patrol.” She walked up to Leda and sat down, a soft smile on her face.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, but Ladybug broke it with a loud intake of breath, one that Leda knew preceded a heavy conversation. “We’re a team,” she declared firmly. “We’re supposed to be working together, and last night we almost killed each other.”

Leda looked away, a blush crawling up her face. “Yeah, I’m... I’m sorry about that,” she said quietly. “I should have listened to you two, and I shouldn’t have let it get that far. I get it if you want me to hand over my half of the brooch.”

Ladybug reached out, putting her hand over Leda’s. “What I’m saying is that we’re a team,” she repeated. “We should be supporting each other, with what happens both in and out of the suits. We’re your team, Leda, and if you ever need to talk about anything, we’re here. Our kwamis can notify us if another is trying to get in touch when we’re not in the suit.”

“We should have realized there was something deeper going on,” Chat Noir added. “We were so worried about you slipping up that we didn’t notice you were hurting. None of us are guilt-free in what happened last night.”

He let out a sigh and straightened his back, putting his hands on his knees. “I am terrified of losing my father, even though he neglects me. My mother went... away, and I’m scared he’ll leave too. He’s getting better, but I still worry.”

Ladybug nodded, catching on slowly pulling her hand away from Leda. “There are times I wonder if the Guardian was right when he chose me. Before this, I was average. Average grades, average friends, average parents. He said he chose me for my kindness, but he decided that on one single act. And I don’t know if that’s enough.”

Leda took in a deep breath and pursed her lips together. “Before Nooroo, I was going to steal things from my family and pawn them off to get enough money to go to Turkey and help refugees. I was... I am so wracked with guilt that I thought maybe, just maybe, that could make up for the fact that I put someone in a coma, even though he hurt me first.”

They went around in a circle again and again, telling secrets and sharing dreams and fears until the sky began to turn pink. Leda yawned and smiled at the horizon.

“I love watching the sun rise,” she confessed.

That day, three students in particular were exhausted beyond belief. Had any of them not been so tired, they might have noticed two of their classmates in the same predicament.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a rough day for everyone.

To say the least, Chloé was having a rough morning. Technically, it started well over two weeks ago when Leda left her room and hadn’t returned since. She hated to sound needy, but she missed her. And then there was that feeling in her chest and her stomach whenever they talked. Or whenever Chloé saw her. Or thought about her.

It was weird and she liked it and she didn’t like that she liked it.

As she walked into school, a voice caught her attention.

“Hey, Chloé-”

“What?” Chloé snapped, spinning around to see Sabrina. She caught herself and sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, what’s up?”

Sabrina raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything about her behavior. If anything, the apology was the abnormal part. “I wanted to know if you were planning on going to the fashion week gala in two weeks.”

Chloé nodded. “Yeah,” she replied. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it. And we’ll be on break so it’s not like I’ll have to worry about losing sleep.”

Sabrina nodded in agreement.

“Hey, Chloé!”

Chloé almost did the same thing she did to Sabrina. Almost. Instead, her eyes widened in anger for a split second before she got them back to normal and turned to see a girl she’d spoken to maybe twice in her life. “He-ey,” she greeted the girl. “Violet, right?”

Violet blinked a coupled of times and pulled back slightly, like she was surprised Chloé remembered her name. Chloé didn’t blame her. “Uh, so you’re not interested in Adrien anymore, right?”

“What would make you think that?” Chloé asked with a shrug and a slight shake of her head.

“Well, for starters, you didn’t just try to murder me for even suggesting that,” Violet joked. “But he seems like such a great guy and I’d love a shot at him. Not to mention he’s rich-”

“Excuse you?” Chloé demanded.

Sabrina’s eyes went wide, and she shrunk back. “Oh boy.”

“You are seriously interested in him cause he’s rich?” Chloé demanded. “You are exactly the kind of person Adrien doesn’t need in his life! You want to know why I’m always around Adrien? Because he’s too nice to protect himself from vultures like you! You are nothing but a gold digger, and I will always keep my eye out for people like you. If you ever talk to him again, I will end you.”

Violet stared for a moment, lower lip quivering, before she ran off towards the bathroom.

“Harsh take down,” Sabrina mused. “Deserved, but harsh. I need to stop at my locker. See you in class.”

“Kay.” Chloé walked into the room, spying nearly everyone there. The only people missing were Sabrina, Danielle, and Adrien. Then again, there were still five minutes left before class.

She moved to her seat, only to be surprised when Nino grabbed her wrist.

“Hey, uh...” Nino pursed his lips for a minute and tugged Chloé into Adrien’s seat. “I was in the hallway and heard what you said to Violet. Shitty way to say it, but you stood up for my man Adrien. It means a lot.”

Chloé gave him a single nod then slid out of the bench. “Sure,” she replied, feigning apathy. “He’s my friend, too.” She moved to her own seat and pulled out her school supplies.

Suddenly, a series of dings came from her phone. She furrowed her brows and checked.

_Akuma_

_Violet_

_Now violent_

_Stay safe_

“Oh fuck!”

“Miss Bourgeois, I know class hasn’t started yet, but please watch your mouth,” Ms. Bustier snapped.

Chloé jumped up and moved for the door. “There’s an akuma and Sabrina’s out there!” she explained. Before she could open the door, Ms. Bustier slammed it shut.

“You are not going anywhere,” she declared. “I am tired of my students disappearing during akuma attacks, and I will not let any of you put yourselves in danger. If I have to barricade this door, I will do it!”

Chloé watched Marinette sink down in her chair, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d swear she just said “oh no.”

* * *

It was a late morning for Danielle and Adrien. A power surge had caused their alarm clocks to reset and allowed their phones to die, meaning that while they both woke up to the sound of chirping birds instead of a blaring alarm, it also meant that Gabriel and Nathalie found them scrambling to get ready and missed breakfast.

By the time they finally got into the car and took off, they were both out of breath. Adrien glanced at his watch, then let his head fall back. “We might make it on time, but it’ll be close.”

Danielle snickered. “Like Ms. Bustier actually expects me to be there regularly.”

Adrien cast an irritated glance at her. “Maybe not you, but I like to be present for class.”

“It’s just English,” Danielle retorted as the car came to a stop- it was a pretty short ride to begin with. The two got out of the car and started running up the steps, only stopping when they crossed the threshold and saw Paris’s latest chaos-maker.

“Oh this is bad,” Danielle muttered as she watched the purple-skinned akuma grab a locker and throw it across the courtyard. “This is really bad.”

Adrien looked from Danielle to the akuma, then back again. “The Gorilla should still be outside; I’m gonna go tell him!” he declared. “You should... take cover. Somewhere not out front!”

Danielle jerked her head to look at him. “Huh?” She didn’t get a response, just the image of Adrien’s back as he ran away. She shook her head and ran off down a hallway, transforming and changing before running right back out.

She got out just in time to see the akuma throw Sabrina across the room, knocking her into a row of lockers. She fell to the floor, unmoving.

“Oh my god,” Leda whispered. “Oh my god.”

Chat Noir landed next to her. “What just happened?”

“It threw a student; we need Ladybug to get here now!”

The akuma turned to them, and its eyes narrowed. It roared and advanced, causing Chat and Leda to jump out of the way. It slammed its fists into the place where they had been, cracking the concrete.

Leda pulled out her sword and sliced at the akuma, leaving a cut in its side. “Come on!” she yelled. “Come and get me!” She took a step back, holding her sword out in front of her. “Bet that hurt, didn’t it!?” She scoffed. “Yeah, I’ve been dealing with the shit your akumas give my champions for the past month! So you wanna get Ladybug and Chat’s miraculous? You’re gonna have to get mine to be strong enough to do it!”

Leda turned and took off running, the akuma following close behind. She ran down the hall and out the back of the school, ducking behind one of the trees there.

To her shock, the akuma ripped the tree out of the ground and swung it at her, tossing her clear across the side street and into the next building. “Oh, where’s Ladybug?” Leda moaned.

Chat Noir suddenly wound up next to in a very similar position. “Ladybug’s not answering her yoyo.”

“You can call her on her yoyo?”

“Yeah, and me on my baton. We were gonna try with you, but we thought we might get Hawk- watch out!”

Leda and Chat dodged the tree as it flew into the building, impaling it.

“This is bad!” Leda yelled, still dodging the akuma’s attacks. “Sabrina’s already been hurt! We need to end this!”

Chat jumped over a flying car, then rushed to save a thrown civilian, but another slipped by and skidded as they landed on the sidewalk. He set the other person down with a quick order to run before getting back to Leda. “If you have any ideas on how to get that akuma purified without Ladybug, I’m all ears.” He took off running, then jumped onto the akuma and grabbed at its arm to keep it from grabbing another civilian.

_I’d even bet you’re powerful enough to send out multiple champions at once and call them back at will._

Leda nodded. “I know how.”

Leda took a deep breath to steady herself, then moved her feet into the fixed position Mireille had taught her. She lifted her arms to shoulder-height, then turned her palms out towards the akuma.

“What are you doing?” Chat Noir asked, barely keeping a grip on the akuma’s arm.

“Keep it busy!” Leda yelled back, bracing herself against a possible attack. Sure enough, the akuma threw Chat off and charged at her, only for Chat to rebound and hit it with his staff.

Leda winced, pain blooming in her mind, but she stayed firm on her feet, just turning to face the akuma whenever it moved. “Come on,” she whispered, her voice a desperate plea. “Come on.”

The akuma charged at her again, but just before it could reach, a black butterfly flew out of its backpack and the human left behind collapsed to the ground. Leda looked up, raising her hands towards the butterfly. The black bled out of its wings, leaving only white behind.

Chat ran up to Leda, eyes fixed on the butterfly. “Leda, that was amazing!” he cheered. He turned his attention to his teammate and realized her nose was bleeding and her eyes were glassy. “Leeds?”

Slowly, Leda turned her attention to him, her eyes moving jerkily instead of in one fluid motion. “I did it,” she breathed. “She said I could, but I didn’t believe her.”

“Who, Leeds?”

Before Chat Noir got an answer, Leda passed out and fell into his arms. Panic seeped into Chat’s heart. He picked up Leda and leaped off, running until he got back to his room. He laid her down on his bed and looked her over for any signs of injury.

“She’ll be fine; it just takes time to recover.”

Chat gasped and turned around, shocked to see his father standing by his desk. “Um, I, uh... Mr. Agreste! You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here! You see, I’m...” He had nothing.

“Are you done fumbling for a lie?” Gabriel asked. Chat nodded. “Alright, since we’ve moved past that, get your cousin some water, Adrien.”

Chat’s jaw dropped. “You- how- but-”

“Water, Adrien,” Gabriel reiterated. “She’s going to have a migraine when she wakes up and water will help. Your mother used to get them all the time even without having her miraculous split in two.”

Chat just blinked a couple of times, completely missing the sound of his miraculous giving out a last warning beep. Plagg flew out and clapped in his face. “Kid! Water! And get me some camembert while you’re at it!”

That snapped Adrien out of it, and he rushed to the bathroom, getting a glass of water. He returned and placed the glass on the bedside table, watching his father close the curtains. The ritual seemed oddly familiar, but Adrien couldn’t pinpoint where he remembered it from. He shook his head and went to the mini fridge in his room to retrieve some camembert for Plagg.

He heard the all-too-familiar beeping and knew Leda’s transformation was out of time. A semi-transparent kwami flew out and flopped down next to Leda.

“Nooroo!” Plagg barreled into the purple kwami and wrapped them in a hug.

Nooroo let out a tired sigh and melted into Plagg’s embrace. “Oh, I missed you.”

“Get this kwami some soft pretzels!” Plagg shouted.

“I will call the chef,” Gabriel promised, pulling out his phone as he spoke. “All four of you should be resting right now.”

Adrien scoffed. “Not doing that until I know Leda’s okay.” He sighed, then tensed up. “Wait, you called her my cousin.”

“That I did,” Gabriel replied before turning his attention back to his phone. “Yes, Marcel, I’d like five large soft pretzels delivered to Adrien’s room posthaste. He forgot to bring money to school for lunch and is suffering from low blood sugar.” He hung up the phone and turned his attention back to Adrien. “When she wakes up, we’re all going to have a little chat.”

* * *

Danielle woke up with a pounding headache and sore muscles. She was almost certain she’d been hit by a bus. Slowly, she sat up, only to realize she wasn’t in her own room. Adrien and Gabriel sat on the sofa in Adrien’s room, Nooroo and Plagg on the coffee table in front of them.

“Oh... my...” She didn’t manage to finish the statement, pain searing through her head. She cried out, ducking her head down.

Adrien jumped up and went to Danielle, rubbing her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, you’re safe.”

“Her safety isn’t her concern right now,” Gabriel whispered. “It’s her head. Dealing in akumas is far more painful than handling champions.” He walked up to the duo and brushed a strand of hair out of Danielle’s hair. “You’ve been asleep for twenty hours.”

Adrien looked to his father, eyebrows furrowed as a thought occurred to him. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned stuff about the butterfly miraculous; how do you know so much about it? It’s not like you’re-” Adrien cut himself off, skin turning pale. He repositioned himself, blocking Danielle from Gabriel’s view. “Tell me you’re not him. Please, tell me you’re not.”

“He’s not,” Danielle gasped, one hand still on her head like she was defending herself. “I thought he was, but he isn’t.” She whimpered, hiding her face again.

“There’s medicine on the nightstand,” Gabriel said, voice still quiet as a mouse. Danielle heard him, though, and she downed the pills, following it with the glass of water.

Adrien looked from Gabriel to Danielle and back again. “How do you know?” He didn’t dare take his eyes off his father this time.

Danielle moaned. “Stop yelling!” She pulled a pillow over her head. Another mumbled response came out from under the pillow, but Adrien couldn’t hear it.

“Huh?”

Danielle yanked the pillow away. “We were both with Ms. Bustier when she got akumatized,” she repeated. “He couldn’t have done it.”

“Then who is Hawk Moth?”

“Stop yelling!” Again, the pillow went over Danielle’s head.

Gabriel sighed. “She is sensitive to light and sound right now,” he explained. “As for who Hawk Moth is, that would be my brother Isaiah.”

Danielle shot up into a seated position, eyes wide in shock. Adrien’s face bore a similar expression. “Your what!?” Danielle whimpered and covered her ears.

Gabriel sighed and sat down on the bed, gesturing for Adrien to do the same. “Adele and my brother were once miraculous holders,” he explained quietly. “She had the butterfly, and Isaiah had the peacock. Adele and I became friends outside of magic, and she ended up choosing me to be her champion on several occasions. Isaiah became paranoid that she’d discovered his identity, so he came clean with her and vice versa. The three of us were very close, and they fought an organized crime ring up until Adele became pregnant.

“Fast forward to about a year ago, and Adele caught wind of a cult seeking to control the miraculous in Tibet. She went to investigate, but she left Nooroo in my care until she got back... obviously, she still has yet to return.” Gabriel sighed and glanced down at his hands. “Isaiah wasn’t informed of Adele’s decision to leave, and he would have objected. He did object. He came here to get the butterfly miraculous so he could save Adele, but I wouldn’t give it to him... so we fought. He got the butterfly brooch from me, but I got the peacock brooch from him.”

Danielle furrowed her eyebrows together. “Then why was it in your desk drawer?”

“I managed to sneak into his apartment and get it from him, but when I tried to get it a day later from my desk, it was missing. Initially, I had assumed Isaiah had taken it back, but it seems you stole away half of it first.”

Adrien rubbed at his face, trying to make sense of it all. “So you let Mom go to another country to fight a cult on her own?” he asked.

“Adrien,” Danielle hissed.

“Sorry, no yelling,” Adrien sighed, lowering his voice. He glared at his father. “How could you just let her-”

“Adrien,” Danielle repeated. He looked to her. “She’s her own person. She was and is capable of making her own choices. Besides, I doubt she would have agreed to let Uncle Gabriel come with her because if something did happen, she’d want him here to take care of you.”

Adrien let out a dry laugh. “So it’s my fault,” he concluded. “Great.”

Gabriel sighed and put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “None of this is your fault,” he said firmly. “You are a child, and your mother and I both made our own choices, just like Danielle said. Do not take this on like I know you take everyone’s problems and mistakes on.”

“He’s right, kid,” Plagg chimed in, finally floating over from the coffee table. “You can’t control people, and you shouldn’t try to. Leave that to your cousin.”

A faint smile crossed Danielle’s face. “Cheeky. Now can I go back to sleep?”

“Of course,” Gabriel replied. “You’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”

Danielle’s brows furrowed together. “Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?”

“You both begin training.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wild Child, meet High Expectations.

Chloé walked into class with her head down and sat at her desk, looking at the empty spot next to her. No one knew why Ladybug hadn’t shown up to the akuma battle, but she didn’t. That meant that even though Leda was able to purify the akuma, there wasn’t anyone able to magically clean up the mess it left afterwords.

Don’t get her wrong, Chloé was grateful that Leda was able to purify the akuma before it did any more damage, especially if Ladybug was completely unable to be there and not just running late, but it also meant nearly a quarter of the class was out with injuries, including Sabrina, who was in the hospital.

And sure, you could blame it on the akuma or Hawk Moth, but Chloé knew better. Hawk Moth wouldn’t have had the chance to akumatize Violet if it wasn’t for her.

The last thing she expected was for Marinette to slide into the seat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked. Her eyes looked pitying and... almost guilty? No, that didn’t make sense.

Chloé rolled her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said shortly. “I’m just mad that stupid akuma messed up my day yesterday, and I guess today, too now.”

If Marinette saw through her flimsy lie (Chloé knew she did), she didn’t show it. Instead she nodded and rubbed Chloé’s shoulder before standing back up and returning to her own desk.

With a sigh, Chloé sat back and pursed her lips, lost in her thoughts.

* * *

“Are you two ready to start training?” Gabriel asked as he walked into the dining room the next day.

Danielle, head resting on her upper arm on the table, turned to look at him. “No,” she stated blandly. “Can I at least finish my eggs first? And maybe have some excedrin?”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You think you’re always going to be fighting 100% rested and ready to go?” he asked. “An akuma can be sent out at any time. You have five minutes, then I want you both in the atrium.”

Danielle groaned and sat up, shoveling food into her mouth so she’d have as much energy as possible. “This sucks,” she grumbled. “I’m already training with the Great Guardian; why do I need more?”

“I think it’s great,” Adrien replied. “We’ll be training with someone who’s worked with miraculous holders in the past without being focused on the abilities of their own miraculous. Father will be unbiased.”

“Whatever.”

The two eventually made it into the atrium, where Gabriel waited for them with a thick, leather-bound book. “Danielle, transform. Adrien, don’t,” he ordered. Once Danielle was gone and Leda stood in her place, he continued. “Today, you’ll have the day off, Adrien- mostly. Leda will be hidden somewhere in the house, tied up and unable to free herself.” He looked to his niece. “Leda, your task will be to turn Adrien into a champion and convince him to save you. You’ll have to tell him how to get to you and make him work against what he wants to save you.”

Next, he turned to Adrien. “Adrien, your job is to have fun. Take the day off, go for a walk, get whatever greasy food you want... whatever. But that ends the second you’re done being a champion.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “So I... I just have to have fun?” he asked. “Seriously, that’s my training for today?”

“Yes,” Gabriel confirmed. “Now go; Leda will be sending you a butterfly soon.”

Adrien didn’t have to be told twice. A bright smile on his face, he walked out of the mansion, getting only half a mile away before he felt the butterfly land on him.

_Hey, I think I’m in the attic._

“Awesome,” he said. “Do the thing, Leeds.” In a flurry of lilac bubbles, Adrien was transformed.

* * *

“This is the best day ever,” Adrien- Wild Child- said as he literally danced his way into a cafe, a giant grin on his face. The people in line took one look at him and stepped out of the way, gesturing silently for him to go first. “Wow!” he mused. “That’s really sweet, thank you!” He walked up to the front counter, completely unfazed.

 _Oh my God, you idiot. They’re moving out of the way because they think you’re an akuma!_ Leda shouted in his head. _And you’re supposed to be saving me, not getting lunch!_

“Are you kidding me?” Wild Child asked. “This is my first day off since I was, like, ten. You think I’m not gonna get a meatball sub while I’m at it?”

“M-meatball sub?” the man at the counter asked. “Coming right up! W-w-would you like anything to drink, sir?”

Wild Child wrinkled his nose in thought. “Sure,” he finally decided. “One lemonade, please.”

The food came out in record time, and Wild Child reached into his pocket.

“No no!” the server replied quickly, shaking his head and waving his hands around. “Uh... no need to pay! On the house!”

Wild Child’s jaw dropped. “Really?” he asked. “Oh man, this is the best day ever! Thank you so much!” He took his food and left, heading to the park.

 _You are literally the worst,_ Leda declared. _And they gave you that for free because they’re scared. They think you’ve been akumatized, remember?_

“Well, I mean, technically I am,” Wild Child replied. “Do you have a word for it when they aren’t dark?”

_Does it matter?_

Wild Child shrugged and bit into his sandwich. “I’m just saying,” he mused, mouth full of meatball sub, “you should probably come up with a name for it if you don’t want people freaking out.”

_I am going to fucking murder you._

“No you won’t.”

Wild Child finished his sandwich and went over to the abandoned playground, completely disregarding the fact that the park had been emptied seconds after he arrived. “I wonder...” He took off running, then did a handspring, launching himself to the top of the playground. He landed in a crouch and giggled, straightening up and looking around. “Okay, that was cool.”

_On your left._

“Wha-”

Wild Child was cut off as someone swung in and kicked him, throwing him to the ground. He moaned in pain and got to his feet, brushing himself off. “What was that for?” He looked up to see Ladybug land in front of him.

“What was- what do you mean ‘what was that for?’” Ladybug asked. “You’re an akuma; I’m Ladybug. We fight, it’s a thing.”

“Ohhhh!” Wild Child laughed and shook his head. “Nah, I’m not Hawk Moth’s, you’re fine,” he assured her. “Leda’s got some new guy training her and I’m technically supposed to be quote-unquote ‘saving’ her, but really I’m just supposed to enjoy the day and be petulant while she tries to convince me to find her and quote-unquote ‘save’ her.”

Ladybug stared and blinked a couple of times. “Huh?”

“I’m not after your miraculous, I haven’t been akumatized by Hawk Moth, and I just want to have a day to be silly,” Wild Child explained.

Ladybug still looked shocked, her jaw hanging open. “Adrien?” she asked, realization hitting her.

He nodded. “Yep,” he confirmed. “Well, technically I’m Wild Child right now,” he added with a wink. Suddenly, he slapped himself across the face. “Ow! What was that for?”

 _You are supposed to be saving me, not flirting!_ Leda snapped. _God, I’m glad I finally figured out how to do that._

“Well I’m not!” Wild Child replied.

Ladybug raised her eyebrows. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Wild Child waved her off. “Oh yeah, I’m fine,” he assured her. “Leda just figured out how to control my hand is all.” Again, he slapped himself. “Seriously?”

_Yes, seriously!_

Wild Child groaned. “Ugh, fine.”

_Really?_

“No.”

Again, he slapped himself. “Would you stop that?!”

_Will you come save me?_

“No.”

_Then there’s your answer!_

Wild Child grabbed his hand in an attempt to stop the upcoming slap, but the second he let go, he slapped himself with both hands.

“Alright...” Ladybug sighed. “Look, you’re scaring people, so even if this is part of some training exercise with Leda, I can’t let you keep doing this. What’s the totem?”

“Oh it’s-” Wild Child covered his mouth with both hands.

Ladybug nodded. “Right. Okay then.” She walked up to Wild Child and looked him over. She noticed something sticking out of his pocket and reached out to grab it, but he punched her in the nose.

Wild Child looked mortified as Ladybug clutched her nose. “That wasn’t me!” he insisted.

“Leda, what the heck?” Ladybug demanded.

_She’s gonna kill me for that._

“Most likely,” Wild Child confirmed. Before Leda could stop him, he yanked the lucky charm Marinette had given him out of his pocket and held it out for Ladybug.

Ladybug snatched the trinket away and broke it, watching as a white butterfly flew out. “Miraculous Ladybug,” she grumbled, throwing her yoyo up in the air. A slew of ladybugs flew around them, fixing the bracelet and Ladybug’s nose. She held the charm out to Adrien. “So you know who Leda is?” she asked.

“Uh...” Adrien laughed nervously as he took the bracelet. “Bye!” Without wasting another second, he ran off.

* * *

When Adrien got back to the mansion, he was met with a pissed off Danielle holding a length of rope. “I. Am going. To murder you,” she growled. “You were supposed to come help me, Adrien! Even if you weren’t my champion, you’re my cousin! What the fuck!?”

Adrien put up his hands defensively. “I was just doing what Father told me to do. You’re supposed to learn to convince and control people.”

“You...” Danielle pursed her lips and glanced away before turning back to him. She scoffed. “Even when you were Wild Child, the _antithesis_ of your usual goody-two-shoes self, you still followed Uncle Gabe’s orders. Wow. Thanks, teammate.” She threw the rope at him and spun on her heel, storming up the stairs.

Adrien stood there, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What did- I don’t get it.”

“Of course you don’t,” Plagg sighed, flying out of Adrien’s shirt. “You’ve spent your whole life trying to please your father, I get it, you have a complex, but you let Danielle down.”

“I was supposed to ignore her!” Adrien insisted. He sighed and started heading up the stairs to his room.

Plagg rolled his eyes and flew up in front of Adrien’s face, blocking his path. “You were supposed to be convinced by her,” he corrected. “And she gave you good reasons; you just ignored them because you wanted to please your father. If you were really a champion, if you were really living up to the powers that _she gave you_ , you would’ve ignored your father and gone straight to her.”

Adrien hesitated for a moment before walking past Plagg. “You’re wrong!” he called over his shoulder.

“I’m over five thousand years old, kid,” Plagg declared, once again catching up to him. “I’ve seen the worst of the worst and the best of the best, and intentionally letting your teammate fall flat on her face? That’s low. You’ve got problems, sure, but you need to put those aside when you’re fighting or training. Follow your cousin’s lead and call a shrink. Go with Gabriel. You’ve both got shit to work out.”

Adrien didn’t respond, just walked into his room and shut the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take a minute to review. It really brightens up my day and encourages me to write more.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final confrontation.

Danielle danced around the bathroom in her towel to the song blasting on her radio, completely oblivious to the world outside her little bubble. Her hair had finally dried out, and she’d pulled it back into a half-ponytail.

“Okay...” she muttered to herself. She opened the door to her bedroom and walked up to the bed where a long, purple dress lay. She pulled the dress on, followed by a pair of black heels that tied around her ankles.

Tonight was going to be amazing, she thought. Not only was it the middle of fashion week, but she’d also get to see Chloé. They’d hardly spoken since Leda had her breakdown, and Danielle wanted to see how she was doing.

“You ready, Nooroo?” she asked.

No response.

Danielle turned to where Nooroo usually slept at her bedside, but they weren’t there. Moreover, the half-brooch wasn’t there. The color drained from Danielle’s face, and she looked around the room. “No,” she muttered. “Oh no, no, no, no, no!”

She went back over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, praying it was there. Nope. Nothing. “Nooroo, where are you?”

“Don’t worry; they’re safe.”

Danielle let out a sigh of relief, and she turned around to see Gabriel standing in the doorway. “Oh thank God. Uncle Gabe, where did you put the miraculous?”

Gabriel sighed and shook his head. “Come on,” he declared, turning and heading down the hallway. Danielle followed him up a stairwell, coming to a halt in front of a wooden door. “You should really be more careful with Nooroo. Hawk Moth could have gotten him back if it weren’t for me.”

“I know, I-” The color drained from her face. “I know.”

The man standing in front of her sighed and grabbed her upper arm. “Alright, let’s cut the crap; I can feel your fear. What gave me away?”

Danielle scoffed. “Nooroo is nonbinary,” she declared. “You called them a ‘him.’ You’re Isaiah.”

“Hm. I’ll remember that for the future.” Isaiah tightened his grip on Danielle and pulled out a knife, lifting it to her throat before she could react. “What?” he asked. “Trying to think up a way out of this? Not happening. I have Nooroo, and soon, I’ll have the ladybug and black cat miraculouses, too.”

“Not gonna happen,” Danielle snapped. “They were doing fine before I arrived, and they’ll do fine without me, too.”

Isaiah shrugged. “Maybe. But they’ve gotten used to fighting as a team of three, and I’ve gotten used to sending out more powerful akumas. It’s not looking good for them.” He pushed Danielle back, knocking her head into the wall and disorienting her long enough for him to open the door and throw her inside, closing and locking it behind her.

* * *

If it weren’t for the sound of church bells every fifteen minutes, Danielle would have lost track of time. After two hours, she was still trapped in the attic, not even a clue of how to get out. The tips of her fingers were covered in dried blood, her nails down to jagged stubs from her attempts to claw her way out through the door.

She looked up at the window, open just enough to let light in, but closed enough that it was too high up for her to reach. Night had fallen, the moon visible in the sky. Then, a miracle happened.

A little white butterfly flew in through the window and made a few rounds through the attic before landing on a rafter. It took a couple of steps forward, and a key fell from the beam.

Danielle’s eyes went wide, and she caught the key before it hit the ground. She ran up to the door, hands shaking as she tried the key. She turned it and-

_Click_.

A sigh of relief escaped her, and she turned back to the butterfly. “Thank you.”

The butterfly swooped down and in front of Danielle, waiting for her to open the door. She did, and the butterfly took off again, down the stairs and through the hallway. Danielle turned when she got to an intersection, but the butterfly flew up right in front of her face.

“What?” she asked. “I need to get downstairs and stop Isaiah.”

The butterfly jerked towards her then back, and with a reluctant sigh, Danielle turned around. The butterfly took the lead again, down the hall and to another stairwell. She followed, only stopping when the got to Uncle Gabe’s office.

“Here?” Danielle asked. “There’s something in here?” The butterfly didn’t reply- couldn’t, obviously- but Danielle went inside anyway. She walked over to his desk, eying the portrait of Aunt Adele as the butterfly landed on it.

Danielle took a step closer and felt at the edges, trying to figure out what the butterfly was telling her. On one side, hinges. On the other, a gap. She pulled, and the portrait swung open to reveal a safe. “Now what?”

The butterfly flew straight through the safe, and when it returned, the lock clicked.

Danielle stared at the butterfly in shock. “I didn’t know you could do that.” Again, no response, so she opened the safe and looked inside. A book, some scrolls, a journal, a picture of Aunt Adele, a travel guide to Tibet... and a brooch.

“Is this what I think it is?”

A little voice in her head whispered back, why don’t you find out?

Danielle took a deep breath and reached out, grabbing the brooch.

Sure enough, a blue ball of light flew out of it, turning into a kwami. It blinked a few times, waking up and taking stock of its surroundings. “You’re not Isaiah.”

Danielle shook her head. “I’m his niece,” she explained. “He’s using Nooroo to wreak havoc all over Paris! I accidentally broke the brooch and had half the brooch for a while, but he found me and took it. I need to stop him!”

The kwami looked her over, a frown on her face. After what felt like an eternity, she spoke. “I’m Duusu. Fill me in.”

“After Aunt Adele went missing, Isaiah went nuts and tried to get Nooroo from Gabriel. They ended up fighting, and Isaiah got Nooroo while Gabriel got you. Isaiah’s been making akumas for over a year now, and Ladybug and Chat Noir have been fighting him. I got here a month and a half ago, and Uncle Gabe stole the brooch from Isaiah and I found it but I accidentally broke it and stole half and Isaiah stole the other half back and Nooroo’s been getting weaker and weaker but I imagine they’re better now because Isaiah stole my half of the brooch back and now there’s a gala for the Gabriel brand and I have no idea what he’s gonna try and-”

“Okay, stop!” Duusu flew up and put her paws over Danielle’s mouth. “How do you feel about a dramatic entrance?”

* * *

Danielle wasn’t entirely sure how she felt standing in front of all these people, especially without Nooroo there. She tried to focus on the music in the background, but it only seemed to make her more nervous.

_I do my makeup in somebody else’s car..._

_You’re doing great_ , Duusu’s voice whispered in the back of her mind. _You can do this._

Danielle nodded and walked up to the announcer, whispering her introduction in his ear. She pulled back and stood tall at the top of the stairs, ignoring the announcer’s shocked eyes on her. Finally, he got his wits about him long enough to speak.

“Hera Paon of the Miraculous,” the announcer said.

First, only a few people looked, then a few more, and then all eyes were on her. It felt like a scene out of a movie, and she was Cinderella herself. Wearing a blue, strapless dress with green peacock feathers at the bottom, black feathered heels, and a blue mask, she knew she fit the part. Danielle took her first step down, careful not to lose her balance in the heels.

Her eyes locked on Isaiah as he moved through the crowd towards her. She curled her fingers around her fan, the blades cutting into her skin and coming just shy of drawing blood. Her whole world moved in slow motion. Finally, she stopped at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at her uncle.

“Give me my miraculous back,” she growled in a whisper. “I’m done letting you hurt Nooroo.”

Isaiah gave her a smile that could only be described as condescending. “Yes, well, you can try, but it seems you’ve got a bit more to deal with.” His sentence was punctuated by a crash across the venue.

_But I hear sounds in my mind_

“You see, I had a feeling you’d find a way out, and you’d probably find a way to contact Ladybug and Chat Noir, so I made some preparations- you know how stressful these events can be,” he continued. “Nooroo’s exhausted, but they’ve got plenty of soft pretzels to keep them happy. Maybe if they recover fast enough, I can make even more akumas.”

Danielle took in a shaky breath, trying to hold back the tears. “I’m going to kill you,” she whispered.

“I think you have more pressing matters to attend to,” Isaiah said.

_I’m waiting for it, that green light, I want it_

Danielle didn’t hesitate, swinging and punching Isaiah in the jaw.

Isaiah jerked back, holding his chin, and Danielle struck again, this time to his stomach and knocking him into a table with trays of hors d’oeuvres on it.

Isaiah growled in frustration. “Nooroo, dark wings rise!” He jumped up, cane clashing down on two of Danielle’s crossed daggers.

Gasps filled the air, all eyes on the two of them as the scene unfolded.

“Seriously?” Danielle mocked. “Dark wings rise? You just had to tack on that ‘dark’ in order to accomplish your evil plan?” She kicked at Isaiah’s stomach then advanced, trying and failing to cut him with one of her daggers. “And where is Gabriel Agreste anyway? You’re a total dick, but I doubt even you would kill your own brother.”

Hawk Moth shrugged and deflected attack after attack, the crowd parting for them like the Red Sea. “He’s around here somewhere; it’s a large enough venue that no one would question there being two of him.” He went on the offensive, pulling his sword from his cane and taking a step towards Danielle.

Danielle held up her nine daggers, fanning them out to make a shield. When she looked up to retaliate, Hawk Moth vanished in a flash of purple. “Are you kidding me?” she snapped.

Upon hearing another explosion from the far end of the venue, Danielle realized she didn’t have time to worry about it. She took off running, skidding to a stop next to Chat Noir. “What’s the scoop?” she asked.

“One fire akuma, one water akuma, one air akuma, and one earth akuma,” Chat said quickly. “If we’re lucky, Aang will show up and save us all.” He glanced at Danielle and did a double take. “Wait, who are you?”

Danielle clipped him on the back of the head. “It’s me, dumbass!” she snapped. “Hawk Moth stole my half of the brooch back, and he just transformed in front of a bunch of people!”

Chat Noir’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ as he nodded. Then, he sighed. “Look, Leeds, Plagg read me the riot act after what happened, and-”

“Whatever,” Danielle cut in. “I get that Un- that he is more important to you than I am. He’s your dad, after all, and-”

“I was still wrong,” Chat Noir insisted. “I should’ve listened to you, and I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

Danielle stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Apology accepted.”

Ladybug dropped down next to them, panting heavily. “Are you two just going to stand there talking all night?” she asked. “I need help!”

“Right!” Danielle and Chat chorused, jumping into action.

For the next half hour, the fight went nowhere. It was four against three, and every now and then, Hawk Moth would join in to try to steal the miraculouses himself, only to vanish the second he lost the advantage.

“Lucky charm!” A large metal plate fell into Ladybug’s hands. “Ooookay then.” She looked around, eyes lighting up when she saw her solution. She took off running and stopped a few feet in front of the fire akuma. “Hey!” she yelled.

The akuma turned, and sure enough, it shot a stream of light and fire at her. Ladybug held up the plate, and the fire hit, deflecting up into the chandelier suspended above the courtyard. The prisms split it in three directions. The first went into the water akuma, evaporating it and burning its talisman. The second went to Chat, who batted it into the earth akuma and turned it to clay, allowing him to hit it with his baton and destroy its talisman. Finally, the third went to Danielle, who reflected it off her fan and into the air akuma, blasting through it and giving her enough time to throw a dagger, breaking the talisman.

Finally, Ladybug threw the platter, severing the akuma’s head and destroying its talisman. She shot her yoyo out in a circle, catching all four akumas. “Gotcha!” she cheered. She opened her yoyo again, and four white butterflies flew out. “Bye-bye, little butterflies.” She sighed. “Hopefully for the last time.” She looked to Chat, then Danielle, who gave her a nod.

Danielle walked through the crowd, and Ladybug moved to follow, but Chat caught up and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Look, I know we’ve been doing this for a while, but Leda needs this. For Nooroo.”

Ladybug took a step back and nodded, keeping a careful eye on Danielle as she approached what appeared to be the gala’s organizer. She held out her hand, palm-up.

“Hand it over, Isaiah,” Danielle ordered. “You aren’t fooling anyone anymore.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he declared. “I am Gabriel Agreste.”

“Really?”

Danielle whipped her head around to see Gabriel walk through the crowd and into the ring spectators had formed. As she turned back, searing pain burned through her abdomen.

A short breath of air left her lungs, and she looked down to see one of her own knives embedded in her stomach. A choking sound escaped her, and she stumbled back. She would have fallen to the ground if Chat Noir hadn’t caught her.

“A-Ad-”

“Shh, shh,” Chat Noir whispered. “Save your energy, okay? Just focus on staying awake.” He glanced up and gave a nod to someone Danielle couldn’t see before returning his attention to her. “Keep breathing. Just keep breathing. We’re gonna get you to the hospital.”

Danielle nodded mutely, her eyelids drooping.

“No, no, no! Stay awake! Come on, stay awake!”

She couldn’t fight it anymore. Danielle took another shallow breath, and her eyes fell shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Mentioned: "Green Light" by Lorde, which also happens to be the theme song of this fic
> 
> Oh my God I can't believe we've made it this far. I started this fic well over a year ago, and when I finally posted it, I was terrified of how it would be received. I know OC fics aren't the most popular out there, so I wasn't very optimistic, but seeing the support I've gotten, I can only say thank you so much for letting me share Danielle with you all.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the dust settles, Danielle finds that she's a lot more than who she used to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was waiting to post this until after whatever weird virus ffn had got fixed, and I just heard it has been, so finally! The long-awaited finale to Chrysalis!

Danielle woke up surrounded by beige and white. Everything was crisp and pristine and smelled like sanitizer. She looked around, her eyes finally landing on Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie, and the Gorilla next to her. “Hey...” she began slowly. “Where am I?”

“The hospital,” Adrien answered. “Uncle Isaiah stabbed you and ran off, but Ladybug and I caught him before he could leave. Then there was the whole thing with the police thinking Father was the one who stabbed you and-”

“The important thing is that you’re okay,” Gabriel cut in. “The doctor will likely have you stay here for a few days so you can recover.”

“Speaking of, I’ll alert him of your status,” Nathalie declared, getting up and leaving the room.

Danielle nodded slowly and pushed herself up, ignoring the sounds of alarm coming from her family. Something dug into her fingers, and she looked down to see a round, purple locket in her hand. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out why it looked so familiar.

“Boo!”

Danielle jumped, her eyes jerking to look at Nooroo as they flew up in front of her. Danielle smile and laughed, reaching out to support her kwami. “Nooroo! You’re here!”

“And feeling better than ever!” Nooroo cheered. “I wish I could say the same for you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Danielle assured them, waving her hand dismissively. “Where’s Duusu at?”

The three others in the room frowned. “The peacock miraculous got lost in the chaos after you got stabbed,” Adrien explained. “No one can find it or Duusu.”

Danielle’s face fell. “It’s my fault. I should’ve been more careful, I should’ve-”

“Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Gabriel ordered. “There’s nothing you could have done.”

“I guess,” Danielle whispered, sinking back into the pillows on her bed.

Nooroo flew up and nuzzled her cheek. “Just focus on your recovery.”

* * *

A week later, Danielle’s stomach was a mess of knots as she knocked on the door frame of Master Fu’s shop. The door slid open to reveal Mireille, who greeted her with a kind smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Mireille stepped aside, allowing Danielle in.

“I must say I’m surprised to see you, Danielle,” Master Fu declared, getting up from his seat by the gramophone. “You should be at home resting.”

Danielle nodded. “I’ll go back after this,” she promised. “I just... needed to return something.” She pulled the butterfly miraculous out of her purse, the wings on display as a sign of her rejection.

Master Fu’s forehead wrinkled up, a frown set on his face. “And just why are you giving me this?”

“You’re the Guardian,” Danielle replied like it explained everything. When neither Fu nor Mireille said anything, she continued, “You didn’t give me this. I didn’t earn it. I stole it from my uncle after he stole it from Hawk Moth and then- I took this to sell it for a ticket to Antalya.”

“And yet you brought it back to me.”

Danielle let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, well I’m hardly gonna hock Nooroo.” She extended her hand, waiting for Fu to take the brooch. Instead, he reached out and folded her fingers into her palm over the brooch. “Wh-what? What are you doing?”

“Choosing a new wielder,” Fu answered. “You’ve come a long way from the angry little girl looking to ease her guilt, and in a very short time. I have faith in you and your ability to be a wonderful butterfly. We’ll meet again when you’ve fully healed to continue your training.”

Danielle smiled, tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Master Fu. I’ll try to be worthy.”

Master Fu winked. “You already are.” He took the brooch and pinned it in Danielle’s half-up ponytail, causing Nooroo to fly out. “Hello, Nooroo. I trust you’ll get along well with your new wielder.”

Nooroo looked to Danielle and grinned. “I think so,” they replied. “Now... about those soft pretzels.”

A laugh bubbled out of Danielle, and she shook her head. “We will go buy out the cart,” she promised.

“Alright!” Nooroo flew towards the doors, Danielle trailing after with a smile on her face. Nooroo flew back to her and into her pocket, settling in comfortably. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Danielle walked out of the shop, calm and relaxed with Nooroo by her side. She purchased a pretzel from the first vendor she saw, then sat down on a bench and positioned her body to hide Nooroo so they could come out and eat.

“You know,” Nooroo said between bites, “I think you might have one more stop to make. One with a certain blonde?”

A small smile worked its way onto Danielle’s face. “Yeah,” she replied with a nod. “I think I do.”

With that, Nooroo swallowed their pretzel whole. “Ea’y ‘en ooo aw!” they cheered, their response muddled by the food in their mouth.

Danielle laughed and shook her head. “Alright, Nooroo, wings rise!”

* * *

Leda felt her heart in her chest as she knocked on Chloé’s balcony door. It opened a minute later, revealing a smiling Chloé.

“Hey,” she said. “I-I didn’t think you’d come back.”

“What can I say? I just couldn’t stay away,” Leda replied.

Chloé blushed and stepped back, allowing Leda inside. “Thanks for coming. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Leda replied.

“You’re wearing a new suit.”

Leda looked down, realizing her outfit had indeed changed. Her jeans and tank top had been replaced with black leather pants and a formfitting purple jacket, laced up in the front and faded to black at the bottom. “Oh, uh... yeah, I guess it is.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I got Nooroo’s brooch back together, so I can actually transform now.” A beat passed. “But, uh... that’s not why I’m here.”

Chloé’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Then why are you here?”

“Because...” Leda’s voice trailed off. “Screw it.” She leaned forward, gently pressing her lips to Chloé’s. After a moment, she pulled back. “Because that.”

Chloé stood there for a moment, stunned silent. Then, she reached out, grabbed Leda’s hand, and pulled her back in for another kiss. This one lasted longer, the two only stopping for air.

“Wow,” Chloé breathed. “Um... God, now I can’t talk.”

Leda laughed, glancing down at her shoes- black combat boots. She looked back up, noting that Chloé’s face was about as red as hers felt. “I’ve got a thing with my family I need to get to, but I’ll... come by later?”

Chloé nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that sounds... I’d like that.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

Leda slipped out of Chloé’s room, calm and relaxed. Things were good, she thought. For the first time in a long time, things were-

An explosion shook the ground, forcing Leda to her knees and interrupting her thoughts. She looked up just in time to see a woman in blue jump up on a roof and throw a dart. It exploded on contact with the ground.

Slowly, Leda took in a breath, a smirk forming on her face. “Time to get Duusu back,” she whispered to herself.


End file.
